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Manufacturer: Sparton
Iconic Blue Mirrored, Sparton #557, probably the most desirable of Art Deco symbols to date. This one works just fine, is 97.5% original, (a few capacitors replaced) & beside a couple age spots, is in amazing original condition.
The Sparton Company was founded in 1900 as the Withington Company in Jackson, Michigan by Philip and Winthrop Withington.
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William Sparks became a partner a few years later, and they changed the name to the Sparks-Withington Company. By 1909, they were using the trade name "Sparton", using the first three and last three letters of their company name, inspired by the "Spartan" of ancient Greece. One of their first major products was an all-electric car horn in 1911. Radio production was added to the company in 1925. After 1930, Sparton also became involved in the manufacture of electric household appliances. It was during this time that they contracted with the pioneer of American Industrial Design, Walter Dorwin Teague.
Walter Dorwin Teague (1883-1960) was an industrial designer whose accomplishments include the "Brownie" Camera, Steinway pianos, Steuben glassware, Corning Glass and more. He designed Texaco Service Stations of the 1930's and 40's, with their white porcelain exteriors and striking red "Texaco Star". He designed for Boeing and the Metropolitan Museum. He and his sons designed the Marmon V-16 automobile. And he designed four exquisite blue-mirror and chrome radios for The Sparton Company; the Sparton 506 "Bluebird" and the Sparton 1186 "Nocturne" in 1935, the Sparton 557 "Sled" in 1936, and the Sparton 558 "Sled", with added tone control, in 1937. They were also all made in a "peach" colored mirror, though far fewer were sold, making those the rarest of all today. Like all radios made by Sparton after 1930, these Teague radios did not sell well, partly due to their price and partly due to the Depression. The Sparton "Sled" and "Bluebird" sold for around $40 to $45 at a time when the average US weekly income was about $30. The large floor-sized "Nocturne" sold for a whopping $350 to $375, about the price of a new car. That, and the fact that they are made almost entirely of glass, explains their scarcity today.
The Cobalt Blue-Mirror, or "Galena" Blue Mirror that is found on the case was patented by William Peacock, Jr. in 1930, and was created by applying a film of lead sulphide (galena) to the surface of the glass. Unlike later blue-mirror, which pales in comparison, reflections in Cobalt Blue Mirror cast a purplish tint. It was only produced for a short time in the 1930's, and when found in good condition, can add even more to the radio's value. |
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