Our radio, displayed in the Mayes Building, is housed in a Kiel table. Kiel was a Wisconsin manufacturer of furniture. Besides selling to furniture stores, they also sold furniture to radio manufacturers such as Atwater Kent. The radio company would place one of their radios inside the furniture and effectively make it invisible until someone opened the lift-up lid or the drop-down door that exposed the radio controls. AK used this same table design to house models 55C and 60C radios. These radios also came in rectangular metal cabinets (often called coffin cabinets) at a much lower price. Our AK Kiel table radio houses a model 55C AK radio. The radio controls can be accessed by pulling down two knobs in the front that appear to be draw pulls. If the customer ever needed to change tubes, the entire top is hinged in the back and easily lifts open. Once opened it becomes apparent that the back cabinet legs (2 out of a total of 6 legs) are hollow. The leg on the left contains the ground and antenna wires while the leg on the back right hides the power cord. The large speaker is mounted in the back and points down.
The cost of this radio, back in 1929, was $100. That was a significant investment since the average salary at that time (before the great depression) was about $37 per week! Our example was made to go in a separate cabinet as designated by the letter ‘C’ (model 55C). If the radio were the version that was in a similarly-designed metal container it would be just model 55. The model 60 was also used in these tables. The 60 has an extra stage of RF amplification and thus performs better in rural areas. As you look at the photographs of the radio, note the nicely turned legs and the book matched veneer that the top is covered with. This is all real wood, no ‘photographic’ wood (decal paper).
References:
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- Radio Manufacturers of the 1920’s, Vol. 1, by Alan Douglas, pages 65-89.
- Collector’s Guide to Antique Radios, Fifth Edition, by John Slusser, pages 40-41.
- Kovel’s Antique Trader (internet site), history of Kiel Furniture.
- Antique Radios forum, internet site, 2019 posting.
- AK Kiel Table Radio on Pinterest.