For newcomers to the hobby and seasoned radio collectors not familiar with Philco, this handy chart will help identify parts and also disspell a recurring mistake in identifying Philco radio model numbers. Up until 1937, Philco used 2 and 3-digit model numbers, not counting any suffixes to denote cabinet styles. Hence, we have models like 20, 16, 80, 610, 680 and the like. Starting in 1937, Philco changed their numbering scheme to include the last two digits of the model’s production year. So, the “new” models for the 1937 model year were 37-10, 37-610, 37-89 and so forth. Philco kept this scheme up to the end of radio and television production.
Apr 6, 2012 - Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Great Condition Rare Antique 1954 Philco Refrigerator with Original Manual at the best online prices at. Find the model and serial number for your refrigerator The model and serial number are located on a small label located inside the fridge. Look on the door, side or rear of the interior to find this small label. Enter the model and serial number into a refrigerator dating website. Early Philco refrigerators had a metal tag with the model number either on the back side of the refrigerator or down by the compressor, visible if you remove the bottom tip-out storage drawer. Post war 1946 to early 1950's was usually on the back of the refrigerator.
As you will notice, Philco’s parts numbering scheme is very extensive and also has some numbers that appear to be just like model numbers from 1937 to 1945. Not so! These numbers all have 4-digit sequences and, to the untrained eye, look just like model numbers. This is where the confusion sets in, especially with Printed Matter that has a prefix of 39-xxxx.
Many newcomers mistake these small printed numbers to be the model numbers, but actually are the part numbers for the paper tags themselves! Sometimes that’s all that’s left of a destroyed or torn model number tag. Other part numbers would also be ink-stamped or metal stamped into chassis, sub-assemblies and other parts causing more confusion in finding a model number on a new set. Hopefully this chart will help clear things up.
Chuck Schwark, The Philco Repair Bench
Many Advantages Discovered in Philco Part Numbering System [Re-printed from the Philco Serviceman, April, 1936]
For the benefit of many dealers and servicemen who are not familiar with the PHILCO part-numbering system, we are giving the details which explain the six-digit part numbers employed.
Two-digit prefix numbers are assigned to various classes of parts, sub-assemblies, and assemblies which are encountered in radio manufacturing. Each part number under this system consists of the two-digit prefix plus a four-digit part number. In writing the numbers a hyphen is placed between the two-digit prefix and the four-digit suffix. This part numbering system was started approximately January1, 1933, and all new PHILCO part numbers have been assigned in accordance with the new system. Wherever part numbers have previously been assigned, however, the older numbers are still employed.
The following are the various classifications under this later system:
27- Fiber, Bakelite and Moulded Parts
1000-1999 – Sheets and strips
2000-2999 – Tubes and coil forms
3000-3999 – Housings
4000-4999 – Knobs and bezels
5000-5999 – Celluloid parts
6000-6999 – Sockets
7000-7999 – Finished fiber parts
28- Metal Parts
1000-5999 – Stampings
6000-6999 – Screw machine parts
7000-7999 – Castings
30- Fixed Condensers
1000-1999 – Mica condensers
2000-2999 – Electrolytic condensers
3000-9999 – Paper condensers
31- Variable Condensers
1000-5999 – Tuning condensers
6000-9999 – Padding condensers
32- Transformers
1000-6999 – R.F. and I.F. transformers
7000-8999 – Power and audio transformers
9000-9999 – Field coils (speaker and transformer)
33- Resistances
1000-2999 – Carbon (fixed)
3000-4999 – Wire wound (fixed)
5000-up – Variable (carbon and wire wound)
34- Tubes and Lamps
1000-1999 – Tubes, cell packed
2000-2999 – Same tubes, individually packed
3000-up – Tube kits
9000-9999 – Lamps
35- Phonograph Parts
1000-1999 – Motors, phonograph
2000-2999 – Tone arms and pickups
3000-up – Turntables, needle cups, and misc. phonograph parts
36- Speakers and Speaker Sub-Assemblies
1000-2999 – Complete speakers
3000-up – Speaker sub-assemblies
37- Chassis and Chassis Sub-Assembles
1000-4999 – Chassis complete with tubes and tube shield
5000-9999 – Chassis wiring assembly (wire looms)
Philco Refrigerator Value
38- Sub-Base and Sub-Base Assemblies
1000-4999 – Sub-base assemblies
5000-9999 – Misc. chassis sub-assemblies
39- Printed Matter
1000-2999 – Battery
3000-up – Radio (chassis model tags and cabinet tags, instruction pamphlets, sheets and booklets)
Philco Refrigerator Compressor
40- Accessory Kit – Knock-down Chassis
1000-4999 – Knock-down chassis
5000-up – Accessory kits
41- Dynamotor and Chargers
1000-1999 – Complete dynamotors (packed)
2000-2999 – Complete dynamotors (unpacked)
3000-3999 – Vibrators, Dynamotor sub-assemblies
4999-4999 – Motors
5000-5999 – Charger (packed)
6000-6999 – Charger (unpacked)
7000-7999 – Charger sub-assemblies
42- Controls and Switches
1000-4999 – Switches
5000-9999 – Control units
43- Major Radio Sub-Assemblies
1000-
44- Silks and Cloths
1000- Grille silks (grille cloth)
Philco Refrigerator Serial Number Decoder
45- Service Items
Hardware, screws, nuts, bolts, tools, tool sets, springs, feet, spacers, lubricants, cements, etc.
