So you are selling an old radio, or you just bought one, and you want to know what year it was made? Well, there are some clues that you can use to determine the decade it is from, and then you can use that info to figure out which database you can search for more specific information.

Here are the clues:

TABLE RADIOS:

If the radio is long and flat with a hinged lid and has 2 or 3 big bakelite knobs across the front it’s probably a breadboard type and was made in the 1920’s

If the radio is a table model, and is large and boxy it’s probably a tombstone type and was made in the mid to late 1930’s.

If it has the classic pointed top it’s a cathedral style and it was probably made in the early to late 1930’s (Hint... if it is made of woodgrained plastic, it has no vacuum tubes inside, and/or it has a tape player in it, it's NOT this old)

If it is small and made of plastic or bakelite it was made after the mid 1930’s

If it has a clock in it, it was probably made after 1940

FLOOR MODELS (CONSOLES)

If it is a floor model and has long spindly legs supporting a short body it was probably made in the late 1920’s to early 1930’s.

If it is a floor model with short legs (or feet only) and a tall body, it was made after the early 1930’s

If it contains a crank-up phonograph it is probably from the late 1920’s to early 1930’s

If it contains an electric motor phonograph that uses needles that are held in with a set screw in the front of the tone arm, it’s probably from the mid 1930’s to the early 1940’s

If it is taller than it is wide, it was made before the 1950’s

OTHER FEATURES:

If the radio has more than one AM band (Broadcast, Short Wave, Long Wave, Police, Ocean) it was made after 1930

If the radio has an FM dial it was made after 1947

If the radio has AM/FM Multiplex it was made between 1962 and 1964 (this is a cool but obsolete feature from a time when the FCC was allowing AM and FM simulcasts to simulate stereo - AM would play out of one channel and FM out the other)

If the radio has FM stereo it was made after 1964

• Note: Radio consoles with phonographs offered stereo sound through the phono and tape playback functions before FM stereo was developed. Stereophonic recordings entered the market in 1958, but radio was slower to develop a means of broadcasting stereo until the 1960’s. Because of this lag, a console may be labeled "Stereo" even if the FM is played in mono.
• Please do not call a radio that does not feature stereophonic sound a "stereo". It's misleading to your buyers.

If the radio is labeled Solid State it was probably made some time after 1960 when transistors and semiconductors began replacing vacuum tubes. The first transistor radios were marketed in the US in 1964

OK. So you have a handle on how old your radio MIGHT be. Now… where do you go? Start with the schematic! A schematic is a page or pages of technical data radio servicemen use to build or fix a radio. It’s a handy thing to have even if you don’t know how to read one. John F. Rider published radio schematics from the late 20’s through the early 50’s and many, many sets are covered. Howard W. Sams began publishing schematics after the second world war and still publishes them today. Both are great resources, and if you can find your radio in their data you’ll find the year of manufacture of your radio. It’s that simple.

To find your schematic you’ll need the model or chassis number of your radio. It’s often the largest number printed on the back of the radio cabinet. If the back is missing, the chassis number will be printed on the back of the chassis (the big metal box that the tubes and wires are sticking out of). Also make note of the brand (Admiral, Zenith, Grundig, etc.) as several companies may have used similar numbering systems… remember, hundreds of thousands of radio models were produced!

If you believe your radio was made after 1928 and before 1954 you can look up the Rider schematic online. Enter the model number into a search engine. (If you want to cut to the chase, enter the manufacturer and the model number into a Google search box and go) Do a search for Rider Manuals online or look around eBay. Many sellers offer originals and photocopies of the Riders Manuals. If you believe your radio was made after 1947, the Sams Photofacts sheets are the way to go. They tend to be much more detailed than Riders. Again, many eBay sellers will sell you the originals and/or photocopies. If your local library has a subscription to the Sams Technical website you can search their database for the schematic set (called a "folder") you need. Sams also offers schematics for televisions, car radios, VCR’s, DVD players, and more, from 1947 onward.

Once you have the schematic you will not only have the date that your radio was made, but you’ll also have valuable information to provide to a repair technician should your radio need repair. And it’s a cool thing to have too. If you’re selling your radio, offering to include a CD of the schematic with your vintage radio is about the nicest thing you can do for your buyer. It only takes a few minutes to download and burn, and your buyer will be very impressed with you.