Ebony Sparton 517-B Radio Walter Dorwin Teague Art Deco Design

Rare 1936 517-B Sparton “Cube” with the ebony lacquer finish plus chrome trim, a rare Art Deco radio. Manufactured by the Sparks-Withington Company of Jackson, Michigan, and was the creation of renowned industrial designer Walter Dorwin Teague. This model radio was one of three finishes available in 1936: wood, ivory, and ebony.  Of the three, the 517-B in ebony is the only one that was available with chrome stripes and the ribbed knobs also with chrome inserts, a feature that in my opinion sets it quite apart from all the other cube radios of the period.

This radio retains the original manufacturer’s label affixed to the chassis showing the model # as 517-B,  this radio has been carefully restored back to its original state, black lacquer refreshed and has a beautiful sheen. The 3 chrome strips are original to the radio and are in excellent original condition showing no surface wear.

Additionally, this radio has been fitted with a 1/8 inch adapter which will allow you to use this with your iPhone, smartphone, iPods or record player. Access your old vinyl, or tune into Pandora, Apple Music or the playlist on your computer to provide the tunes and use the Bluetooth connection to bring the warm, bright, analog sound of a tube amplifier to any music or recordings you choose. The quality of the sound is excellent – just ask any guitarist since these kinds of tube-based amps are still being made and used today. You will have the best of “digital” and “analog” combined.