Object of the Day: A Vintage Motorola Radio and Turntable

Motorola began in 1928 in Chicago, Illinois as the Galvin Manufacturing Corporation with the production of Battery Eliminators, transitioning into building radios in 1930. Since then, Motorola has been a leader in technology, manufacturing everything from televisions to cell phones.


This standing radio and turntable dates to the mid-to-late 1940’s. The turntable is tucked away inside the unit above an alcove designed to hold record albums. The radio still functions. Oddly enough, when I purchased this and plugged it in, I had this vague, nonsensical notion that I’d be picking up radio signals from the past. Of course, that didn’t happen, but it was a nice, romantic thought.

Today, though it’s still perfectly functional, it serves a different purpose—acting as a smart, little cabinet and handsomely supporting my printer. It just goes to show that no matter how functional we may be, as we get older, our purpose in life changes.