wells-gard: 9A46;

I recently acquired a console of this model. Specifically, the tag says 9A46-4A. It also has a logo on the front that says Windsor, with a shield device. I believe this may have been an in house brand for a department store chain. If anyone has any information on this radio, I would appreciate it. I would like to get it registered in its proper place. It's a beautiful, well playing radio. Thanks.

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I should have said, that I have a console containing a 9A46 Wells-Gardner chassis. The model and brand of the console itself, is the mystery. As with most Wells-Gardner made radios, this one was branded something else, depending on what retail, or, mail order establishment it was marketed through. I'd like to find out, for whom Windsor was the house brand. Thank You.

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Hi Charles.
I notice the chassis is the same as the Lafayette B100 chassis.  I'm curious if the cabinet of the Lafayette resembles what you have.

I have several sets with a Wells Gardner chassis such as the OEL and the 7L.  I put the whole radio under the Wells Gardner entry, but I probably should have just put the chassis picture like you did with the 9A46.  Your forum post got me interested and I found many sets using the OEL chassis and the actual model that I have, the Truetone 722.

What would be ideal is if someone stumbled across sales documents or internal documentation from Wells Gardner that would cross reference manufactured chassis models with trade name model numbers.

Show us a picture of that cabinet and the Windsor logo when you get a chance.

Best Regards,
Howard in MA getting ready for snow

 

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Thank you for your response, Howard. My search for this has led me in interesting directions, as well. I had no idea how extensive "house branding" was, until I began seeking this one out. Wells Gardner and Belmont were certainly very active in what would today be called OEM manufacturing. Fascinating, it almost makes me happy to not know this radio's pedigree, for the information it has led me to discover in seeking it out. The cabinet is not a match for the B100. The knobs and the dial look to be identical, as could be expected, sharing a common chassis. It looks like it is a beautiful piece of furniture, though. Mine is as well. I think it aesthetically rivals any of the more well known brands. In fact the workmanship far exceeds most. In searching through Mark Stein's "Pre-War Consoles", the only close match to the cabinet that I could find, is General Electric's model H87, from 1940. It looks very similar to that, with the controls and dial face of the B100. I would post photos, if I knew where to place them. The radio is a top performer, rich sounding and it booms, with that huge speaker. My neighbors must sometimes think they've teleported back in time, when I have my am transmitter going, playing big band music. Thank you again, Howard. Another piece of the puzzle has fallen into place.

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As requested, attached are photos of the cabinet, dialface and the Windsor Logo.

Attachments:

• Windsor Cabinet Angle View (90 KB)
• Windsor Cabinet Front view (99 KB)
• Windsor Cabinet Dial Face (76 KB)
• Windsor Cabinet Logo (61 KB)

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I possibly found another link in this chain, partly here at Radiomuseum. There is an entry for a car radio, Solar Model 62, which lists both Warwick Mfg. Company and Wells Gardner as manufacturers. This suggests, to me, that there was a possible collaboration between these two Chicago based companies. Another link, containing radio trade names, lists Windsor as a Warwick Mfg. Company trade name. (radioremembered.org/trdirw.htm) It makes one wonder if this particular console was a jointly commissioned product for a small department store, or, mail order house, utilizing the WG 9A46 chassis. At this point, as no further information seems to be forthcoming from another source here and since I have no further ideas of where to look, I'm ready to concede that the origin of this fine radio shall remain a mystery. I wish I could properly place it under a model, but, I can't see where it would be correctly placed.

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Hi Charles.
I think you are correct in stating that this radio and, for that matter, the Windsor brand was a product built for a department store chain or mail order house.  The only other items I found is a radio on worthpoint with the same logo,  and the Meissner FM-10 that utilizes a similar cabinet with the single center pillar and three lower rungs.
It is unlikely, but you or someone else may come across a magazine advertisement that provides a lead to the original distributor.  It's fun, but it sometimes gets frustrating trying to find the origin of some of these radios; I have a few that are also a mystery.
I find it interesting that tracing the origin of my ancestors back over four centuries ago was simpler than finding out the origin of some 70 year old radio.  Oh well.

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You're right, the FM-10 is similar, as is the GE H-87.  I'll do an occasional search for it, but, I think this has about run it's course, for this radio.  Barring someone else running across something, or, dumb luck, I'm out of ideas for further research.  It was frustrating and enlightening, at the same time.                                          

It is interesting, that tracing one's ancestry is so much easier, I've gotten as far back as the mid 1600's, when my family came to America.  Tax, census and legal documents leave a far wider trail.  Thanks again for looking around for it.

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