General Electric Model H-520 Radio

GE Model H-520 "Turbine"

The 1939 General Electric model H-520 radio is one of the more unusually-styled radios of the period, with a very definite machine-like appearance.  It certainly fits in with GE's image as a manufacturer of electrical devices for heavy industrial applications.  Collectors often refer to this radio as the "turbine".  There were several models with this basic styling theme, with or without pushbutton tuning.  Some models had conventional cardboard backs, rather than the molded back shown on this radio.  They were also available in brown Bakelite, or white Plaskon.

GE Model H-520 "Turbine"

GE Model H-520 Rear View

GE Model H-520 in Brown

A GE H-500 (?) appeared in the Plakson Corporation advertisement shown below, which appeared in the September, 1940 issue of "Fortune" magazine.  Several Detrola models are also shown, as are several Telechron and GE clocks.

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