Admiral Antique Radios

Admiral radios are part of the group of radio brands manufactured by Continental Radio and Television Co. The company was founded in 1924 as a supplier for chargers of batteries. Because of their niche in radios, the company quickly grew. However, depression almost led the company into bankruptcy. To overcome the challenges, founder Ross Siragusa sought the assistance from investors who literally sold some of the things they owned in order to manufacture radios. By 1939, their Admiral brand of radio became a very popular brand in the country. The company also exported the Admiral to other countries because of their success. Continental Radio shutdown their operations in 1979 due to fierce competition from Japan made products.

Because the manufacturer has long been in gone before the hobby of antique radio became popular, it’s regarded as a collector’s item. The rarity of Admiral antique radios is usually on the pre-1950s collections before the popularity of portable, metal type radios. The 1950s until the 70s collection of admiral are also popular because of the sturdy metal enclosure. Restoration of most Admiral Radios is also known to be easy. Admiral is a type of radio that you can restore and even use as a regular, daily use radio.