Here is a 1937 Parker McCrory (Parmak) Masterpiece. It is a very delux 6 volt radio. It has both a base and a high freq speaker, the base is a field coil type which also preforms the task of being a ballast for the 2 volt tubes, except the pentagrid converter. Thanks to Norm for pointing out that the 1C6 converter did need 2 volts on the fil. to run properly.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=195475



It is a 7 tube radio and uses a 19 for PP output to a OP trans that drives both speakers. The tweeter uses a permanent magnet. HV comes from a vibrator power supply.



Here is the most unusual thing; it came with its original box. Not in the greatest shape, but pretty good for 75 years old. I think that the radio spent a lot of time stored there since the colors of the grill cloth were still crisp, too bad it was torn, and the dial is still VERY brightly colored.



I did notice that the box indicated a model 734 while he radio says that it is a 733.

Question is: what would you do with the box. I'm not going to recycle it, but it isn't nice enought to display. I don't know if a box can be "restored". Well it has been taking up a lot of closet space for 75 years. Maybe I can put it up in the attic?

Looks like a Trav-ler.

Are you sure that's the original grill cloth? It doesn't look like it to me. The finish seems just a bit to shiny to be origional. What's the history behind that particular Parmak?

Here's a photo of Parmak with the original grill cloth, taken by Lew Magrish and featured at Radioattic.. The finish looks to be redone.

No, as I said the original grill cloth was torn. So I had to replace it. But the reds in it were still very bright. Too bad it was not intact.

Notice that the lower trim on the radio pictured by Lew Magrish is missing. This is (was) a very fragle strip of laminated trim. I can see how easily it could have been knocked off or damaged. I had to reglue much of that lower trim on mine. That and a few other issues got it a new finish and polish, but not the brass trim, like in the other pictures. The upper trim on that one is also too light, Here is a "before" picture of mine. You can see the hole in the original cloth.

Nice work!! The only one I've ever come across had been badly butchered. Too bad to fix.

wow, what a set, didnt know they existed, thanks for sharing

Great Radio!! I especially love the wood and the colorful dial!! Congrats you lucky pup!!!

Lynn

Thanks guys, but I was so impressed with having the box - and then not knowing what to do with it.

Best I can tell the veneer on the central part of the cabinet had no toner, so my restoration does not either. The old finish had sure turned it yellow. It is all one continuous strip of veneer from the back of one side to the back of the other (tigerwood?), with only 2 inlays near the bottom.

This is the tallest tabletop radio I have.

Sometimes there were two versions of boxes for a ____ (thing). There would be a "sales box", often printed all over, and often in at least a couple of colors.... and there would also be a "stock box" of plain cardboard, with nothing more than the bare essentials to identify the contents.

The box is worth keeping. But will not hold up well in the typical attic.
I had a reweave repair done on a RCA speaker stand grill cloth years ago at a local dry cleaners. I happened to notice the service listed on their window. They did a really good job matching the color and texture of the repair to the original.

OK. I think that I will cut out some foam the size if the inside of the box and (re)-stuff it. Then put it in a large plastic bag. But it is still going to have to go up in the attic.

If this were mine, I'd build a simple rectangular "art deco" style table, with the top & lower shelf veneered in matching Queensland Walnut veneer, and the legs stained dark to match the radio trim (and blend with the printing on the box). The radio would sit on top & the box on the lower shelf. I would make it so the box pretty much took up the entire space between the top & shelf, and was framed by the legs.

Wow!

The box does not look that good.

You know it would be about 4.5 feet tall.

Well, I did say IF it were mine
I certainly wouldn't be worried about whether a 75 yr old carboard carton was nice enough to grace my radio room. I would make sure the radio and box stayed together so that when I died my relatives didn't wonder why the crazy old man was keeping some random tatty old radio box in the attic & throw it out in the trash
I would display it proudly, warts and all, but that's just me.

Paper and cardboard can be restored, they do it with valuable posters and art prints all the time. This is the first one that came up:

http://www.acapaperrestoration.com/rest ... RQodQys_zg

Question is whether the cost would be worth it. That box doesn't have any interesting logos or graphics and so it's probably not worth much dollar wise. If it were my box and didn't have the space I would carefully undo all of the seams and store it flat between some acid free paper and boards.

The schematic for the 733 doesn't show the 2nd speaker.
I wonder if they just added it in to the 733 and called it a 734?

I had not noticed that, but I did notice that the one pictured from Radioattic was an AC set and I can't find a schematic for that. It also has a different HF speaker than mine. That speaker looks to be a FC type as well as the large one, where as mine is a perm magnet in the HF and a FC in the large speaker.

THe radio says that it is a 733, but the box says 734.

Could you unfold (collapse) the box to it's original "flat pack" state for easier storage?

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Thanks for posting the photos of such a nice and interesting radio.