Circa Dec. 1922 Crosley Catalog

Like the first Crosley Radio Products Catalog, also this second and largest catalog Crosley published, has no date.

We would like to find out the smallest perode the catalog must have been in the hands of the dealers. At the moment it can be from December 1922 up to April 1923 (or even later).
Therefore we would like to find evidence for the earliest date possible - and evidence for the last date possible. Much better would naturally be if we find a note in a newspaper from then or an envelope with the old catalog.

The earliest date possible (without further evidence):
This catalog has 36 pages. On page 31 we find a letter from Ocala, Fla. from November 8th for a model X. On page 32 we find a letter from Cincinnati, where a client tells about "On Sunday morning, November 5, 1922, I hared station 6XAD, located at Avalon, California" - for a model VI plus Two-Step AF Amp. There is an other from Cincinnati from November 8, 1922, naming a Harko Senior combination plus model X. Mentioned is in other letters model XV (and Murcock phones).

The letter from Ocala was earliest sent off November 9th and we would have to know how long it took then to be in the office and decided that it is one to be published. If we consider that those pages could be spared out until the last day, and then the letters were selected, the print started, the binding done, the shipment of catalogs, postal service. That is facts only.

The latest date possible (we can hardly tell):
It helps to find also the latest date possible by checking the model which was the latest known for a first apperiance of it in the market. At the moment we know only some ads. Sure is that the catalog contains older models and brand new models. I will now list the models in the catalog - to be easier to later put in first information about all those models. I will have to begin with known ads. After all the work, I wonder to what conclusion we can come.

Prices are without tubes, batteries etc. In the model page you sometimes find a + for that - and a ! would say inclusive. The model XXV for instance has a price of $ 150 but complete cost of $ 271.

1.5 volt cell battery tubes:
What makes me think about a later date for this catalog as December 1922 is for instance the following sentence on page 11: "The cabinets of all of these models are arranged to use the now popular 1 1/2 volt tubes ..." Mentioned to buy is ONE dry cell battery for $ -.50. This must have been 3 in one? Page 23 are the adaptors, page 27 a comment. Page 8 (for model VIII special): Continued demand for radio receiving sets which permit use of 1 1/2-volt vacuum tubes has resulted in the production ..."

Tyne wrote the following in "Saga of the Vacuum Tube", page 313: "The UV199 was announced at the New York Radio Show in December 1922, but it was not available to customers until about the middle of April 1923." Stokes, "70 years of radio tubes and valves", page 17: "The first thoriated-filament tubes were the types UV199 (3, later 3.3 volt filament) and UV201A (6 volt filament); they were produced by GE late in 1922 but were not available for general sale until well into 1923." (from GE Report, page 34).

We have to remember that radios were sold without tubes and the customer had to buy the tube. If a radio store would only be able to sell the readio without tube(s) he would be in big trouble - so would be the manufacturer if the tube would not be available. On the other hand those Crosley radios mentioned hat to get adapters. What about the rheostats?

Harko Senior with regeneration: Caption is wrong: "July 1922 QST advertisement showed the 2nd version tapered tuning dial and rheostat knob in the new Adam brown cabinets." We have to check that.

Ernst Erb, 23.Feb.12

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