Philco sold its first TV set, which had about a seven-inch screen, for $349.50, in 1948. The next year, it sold 800,000 sets. By then, it had begun selling refrigerators and air conditioners. In 1954, it bought the Bendix and Crosley companies to boost its refrigerator business and get into washers and dryers. But by 1960, Philco's earnings had fallen to $2.3 million from $335 million 10 years earlier. In December 1961, the Ford Motor Co. bought Philco, eventually turning it into a wholly owned subsidiary known as the Philco Ford Corp
 

In spring of 1892, Thomas Spencer organized a small company in Philadelphia for the purpose of procucing carbon arc lamps and associated equipmnent. Initially, the new firm was called the Spencer Company, but on October 11, 1892, the company changed its name to Helios Electric Company. Although Helios eventually failed, in 1906 it became part of the newly organized Philadelphia Storage Battery Company, which manufactured batteries for electric cars and trucks. The “Philco” trademark was introduced in 1919, and the company added batteries for radios to its product line shortly thereafter. In 1925, Philco introduced a highly successful line of AC-powered A-B battery eliminators, called “Socket Power” units, which used electrolytic rectifiers.

With the introduction of AC compatible tubes and AC powered radios in 1927, battery eliminators became obsolete and Philco’s general manager James M. Skinner moved the company into manufacturing complete radio sets, starting in 1928.

Radio sales in the USA for 1928 totaled 3,281,000 sets (1927 = 1,350,000) with a retail value of $ 400,000,000 and an average unit price of $ 122.

Sales at Philco grew rapidly, and by 1930, Philco achieved the number one position in radio sales in the U.S. The year 1930 also marked the introduction of Philco’s first “cathedral” design – the model 20, which was an instant sales hit and the first of a long series of very popular Philco cathedrals. Although the Great Depression hurt many of Philco’s competitors, Philco thrived in the 1930s, holding the number one sales position each year. The 1930s saw Philco introduce “Lazy X” chairside radios with remote speakers (the 14LZX in 1931), and one of the first “high fidelity” radios (the 200X in 1934). In 1935, “Acoustic Clarifiers” (passive radiators, which are basically auxilliary speakers without drivers) were introduced in some high end models, and in 1936, automatic “Magnetic” tuning was introduced. In 1938, Philco introduced a wireless battery powered remote control unit called the “Mystery Control” for model 39-116.

Philco offered wireless record players starting in 1938, and in 1940 introduced a novel “Beam of Light” phonograph pickup on several console models with built-in phonograph. The “Beam of Light” pickup, which promised lighter tracking force and reduced record wear, used a mirror coupled to a jewel stylus, which modulated a light beam directed at a photocell. After WWII, Philco introduced a novel “record in slot” style of radio-phonograph, among which is the model 46-1201.

Philco began work on all-electronic TV in 1931, with TV pioneer Philo T. Farnsworth joining the company that year. Philco operated a TV station starting in 1932. However, in the years right after WWII, Philco fell behind RCA in TV and never caught up. In 1958, seeking to boost TV sales through innovative cabinet design, Philco introduced the “Predicta” line of TVs (highly collectable today), which featured swiveling (and in some cases, detachable) picture tubes on top of futuristic cabinets. In 1959, Philco introduced the first fully transistorized portable TV – the “Safari” – which used a two inch picture tube and a built-in magnifier.

Philco was active at times in a variety of other businesses, including refrigerators and household appliances (starting in the late 1930s) and transistorized computers, claiming to produce the world’s fastest all-transistor computer, the Transac S-2000, in 1958.

In part due to technical failures (short CRT life) in the Predicta line of TVs, Philco’s business was in trouble by the early 1960s. Ford Motor Company purchased Philco in 1961, later selling it to GTE Sylvania in 1974, which was acquired by North American Philips in 1981.

Main sources:

(1) Alan Douglas, “Radio Manufacturers of the 1920’s,” Vol. 2, The Vestal Press Ltd., New York, 1989.

(2) Ron Ramirez, “Philco Radio 1928-1942,” Shiffer Publishing Ltd., Atglen, PA, 1993.

(3) Computer History Museum, Mountain View, CA.

Further details for this radio manufacturer by the members (rmfiorg):