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Rare but not Rarest of the "Horse" Novelty Radios, made by Abbotwares Chicago in 1947, Very Rare in this Condition, Serviced and Perfectly Working
In a Nutshell
Rare Western Collectible in Magnificent Condition
Introduction:
Abbotwares, 1770 Workman St. Los Angeles, in the late 1940's produced all kinds of metal wares, some of which were mounted on tube radios or clocks.
Their most prominent product were the "Horse Radios" mounted on an AM tube radio in a metal case. As a Billboard ad from November 1947 shows (pict.21, google "abbotwares horses billboard" for more ads), this was a modular system with a large selection of horse sizes, of "attachments", metal and metal finish choices. The radios had the same 5 tube chassis and had the model number Z-477, independent of the attachment. Some of the "horse" radios are shown in pict.22 and are highly collectible. A 1948 "Ecstasy" model (long-haired nude), that came either as a clock (C-15) or as a radio (R-15) recently sold for $2800, a non-working and tampered with "standing horse" like mine for $3600 + S/H (ref. 3). The "Rearing Horse with Cowboy", the "Prancing Horse and Cowgirl" the "Lady Godiva" (Nude on Horse), the "Moose" and the "Hula Dancer" are also among the rarer ones.
Additional information:
ref.1: http://www.radiomuseum.org/r/abbotwares_z477.html
ref.2: http://radioatticarchives.com
ref.3: http://www.wildwestcollectibles.com/item.php?item=2617
About my radio:
The radio was in excellent condition when I bought it. Its original black anodized finish is in good condition showing only a little wear underneath the saddle, that normally hides it. The two swirled brown plastic knobs are original to this radio. The original blanket for the removable saddle was a piece of screaming red felt, that I replaced with a quieter green piece of velvet. The bridal reins in most of the photos were preliminary, the final ones in pict.20, much better matching the original. The radio comes with new wire antenna and power cord. The radio's chassis is in mint condition and was thoroughly cleaned, electronically serviced and partly recapped. It works with excellent sensitivity, selectivity and volume. Please
e-mail
me (Kris) for any questions, ich spreche Deutsch, je parle Français.
Here are the specifications:
| Technical Description of Item |
| Manufacturer |
Abbotwares, 1770 Workman St. L A, 31 Ca. USA |
| Model |
Z477 |
| Type |
5-tube AM/BC novelty radio |
| Production Year |
1947-49 |
| Serial Number |
Unknown |
| Cabinet |
Brass |
| Dials and knobs |
Brass plate with engraved and painted frequ.s, 2 orig. swirled plastic knobs |
| Frequency Range |
AM 550-1650 kc |
| Controls |
On/off - volume, tuning, 4" PM speaker |
| Tube line-up |
35W4 (Rect.), 12BE6 (RF), 12BA6 (IF), 12AT6 (Det.), 50B5 (Audio) |
| Size (WxDxH) |
12 " x 5 " (incl. knobs) x 15 " |
| Weight |
19 lbs, 8.7 kg |
| Comment |
Unique and rare "Western" collectible, mint serviced and perfectly working |
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