Clocks & Music
1949 Philco 49-902 Bakelite Tube Radio Restored with Bluetooth
1949 Philco 49-902 Bakelite Tube Radio Restored with Bluetooth
This 1949 Philco Model 49-902 is a compact espresso brown Bakelite tabletop set with an ivory plaskon grille, its horizontal louvers running the width of the cabinet alongside a rectangular dial window. The dial reads frequencies from 55 to 160 in cream numerals against a dark ground, tracked by a distinctive fire-engine red pointer, with two brown Bakelite knobs set into the lower panel beneath a gold "PHILCO" wordmark.
The 49-902 is a six-tube AC/DC superheterodyne set with an RF stage ahead of the mixer, built around a 14AF7, 12BA6, 12AV6, 14B6, 35A5, and 35Y4, tuned to the standard AM broadcast band and driven through a permanent magnet dynamic speaker. The added RF stage gave the set stronger sensitivity and selectivity than many of Philco's simpler AC/DC models of the same year, a detail collectors often note when comparing it to lower tier sets in the 1949 lineup.
The bold red dial pointer is one of the more memorable design touches from Philco's postwar tabletop line, a small but vivid accent against the muted brown and ivory cabinet that gives the radio an immediate, distinctive presence even at a glance. Paired with the cabinet's clean, simplified lines, it reflects the more restrained postwar design language that had settled in across the industry by the end of the 1940s.
This example has been restored and equipped with Bluetooth through a 1/8 inch adapter, allowing a smartphone, tablet, computer, or record player to connect and play through the radio's original tube driven sound. The result pairs modern convenience with the warm tone of a vintage Philco set, housed in one of the more visually striking small tabletop cabinets of the postwar era.
