Philco began in 1892 as a moderately successful manufacturer of carbon arc lamps.

In 1906 the company reorganized into the Philadelphia Storage Battery Company with eighteen employees and began to turn a profit. In 1919 the familiar Philco trademark was introduced on a new line of batteries know as Diamond Grid with sales in excessive of four million dollars annually. This product line lead the company into the production of a new product called Radio and by 1930 was hugely successful mainly due to the Baby Grand Model 20 that was relatively affordable. Though 49.50 (less tubes) was a significant amount for the Depression Era years the price was reachable. This was the strategic difference between Philco and its competitors who concentrated on the higher priced console market.

By 1931 Philco was the leading seller of radios and maintained electronics dominance through the Second World War. Philco engineered many innovations and changed the face of electronics for all time. Today the Philco name can be found on economy priced electronics mostly in mass retail.

Philco is an archetypical American success story. It faced failure many times but through foresight, innovation, and diligence became ingrained in Americana forever. But the Philcos of the 30s, the romance and beauty of those fabulous wood cathedrals, are the real attraction to me. There is great personal satisfaction in rescuing and preserving a part of our history!