Climax Radio History
Climax LaSalle "Mini Console"
This is a mid-1930s LaSalle "Mini Console" radio
made by the Climax Radio & Television Co.
It is a beautifully designed small radio measuring only 12" wide, 9" tall and 5.5" deep.
This has the unique black octagonal bakelite knobs seen on other Climax models.
The "LaSalle" name plate is on the top rear of the radio, a common practice by Climax.
The back wood cover includes an early blue Climax license label with the lightning bolt logo.
(the LaSalle back cover and another showing the Climax label and the blue Climax license tag)
Climax "Mini Console" are hard-to-find radios. Another example was found that had Lafayette labeling,
and other similar "Mini Console" designs were also made by Climax.
Climax Radios are known to collectors for many extremely stylish radio cabinet designs.
Their Emerald "Finned" radios and the Ruby "Teardrop" radios are nice examples.
According to Radio World magazine, Climax Radio Corp. was newly incorporated in late 1930.
Then, on July 12, 1934 Climax became known as the Climax Radio & Television Company,
the result of a merger between Climax Radio Corp. and General Television Inc.,
with the company's address listed as 1325 S. Michigan Ave, Chicago.
(Radio Retailing, Aug 1934)
The relationship between Climax and General radio companies must have shifted over the years.
No further info was found on another reorganization or renaming of the comany/companies,
but later in the 1939 Radio Year Book trade directory, the Climax address was listed as
Climax Radio & Television Company, 513 Sangamon St., Chicago,
and the General Television & Radio Corp. address was listed as 257 W. 17th St., New York, NY.
And then, in the 1940 trade directory, the General Television & Radio Corp
is listed with the Sangamon St, Chicago address,
and Climax Radio is no longer listed in any radio manufacturer lists.
It seems further radio manufacturing was under the General T&RC name.
After 1940, only radios with "General Television & Radio Corp" dials and markings are found.
This LaSalle Mini Console Climax radio was shipped from a Cleveland, Ohio seller and
perhaps the Lasalle name comes from the nearby historic Lasalle Department Store in Toledo, OH.
Climax was another radio manufacturer that supplied many different radio retailers,
who then applied their own retailer names on the radios.
Climax Radio & Television Co and General Television & Radio Corp models can be found
with other names including "Aetna", "Cunningham", "Lafayette", "LaSalle",
"Concert Master" and "Gabertone" (Climax Radio president was J.L. Gaber).
Some radios are mis-identified as Climax radios because at the same time,
another Chicago-based radio manufacturer,
the Continental Radio & Television Corp. used "CR&TC" on their radio labeling also.
Usually these are easily identified by their orange-ink stamp on the radio.
CONTINENTAL radio label stamp:
The Continental Radio & Television Corp began as Radio Products Corporation (RPC) and
finally ended up becoming the Admiral Corporation in 1943.
Climax chassis and cabinet license labels and tags changed over the years.
Early Climax R&TC radios used the now-often-missing green and blue decals on the chassis
or blue metal tags on the rear cabinet covers all using the "lightning bolt" logo label.
Then ca1937, the tags changed; the logo removed and
the only Climax identifier is the "CX" serial number prefix on a blue metal chassis license tag.
These were used until around 1940 when the companies naming and labeling
changed back to General Radio & Television Corp.
A photo of the identical "mini console" cabinet was found with the "Lafayette" name tag on the front
and a "Lafayette" license tag on the back in place of "Climax" blue tag.
It was listed as a Lafayette model AS-6 with Riders schematics and chassis diagram that match the LaSalle above.
Its tube line up of 6D6, 6C6, 75, 43, 25Z5 and a ballast "tube" was used on many Climax models.
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