In a Nutshell
Canada does it different, and again I say better: tuning with a shadowgraph

Introduction:
Philco (abbreviation for the factory's 1906 name "Philadelphia Battery Storage Co.") from 1927 on was one of the "big three" radio manufacturers together with the Zenith Corporation in Chicago and The Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in New Jersey. Philco entered virgin soil with its innovative and pioneering inventions of the first wireless remote control, called the "Mystery Control", or their 1941/42 remote wireless record players or their "Beam-Of-Light" tonearm the same year. Famous designers like Ed Combs, Clyde Shuler and Ben Nash created Philco's unforgettable line of cathedral and tombstone radios, which still can be admired in old nostalgic movies, and which top the price range, collectors are willing to pay.
In the late 1930's the models produced by Philco's Canadian subsidiary in Toronto started to differ substantially from their American counterparts (I say again to the better, despite last time's vehement protests from south of the border). Here we have another typical example: a 1938 model 38-C9 (US version 38-9) table radio with a factory built-in shadow meter (pict.22), that in 1938 was reserved in USA only for console and tombstone radios. The late style shadow meter or shadowgraph (picts.23,24) was invented and patented by Ralph G. Arey in 1936 on behalf of General Electric. He had applied for the patent already in 1932, long before RCA introduced its "Magic Eye" tuning indicator (see my RCA console for sale). The shadowgraph works like a milliamperemeter, its needle being replaced by a vane, that casts a shadow onto a matt screen when illuminated and tilted. It measures the DC component in the second IF amplifier tube (pict.26).

Additional information:
   ref. 1:    http://www.tuberadioland.com/philco38-9_main.html
   ref. 2:    http://www.philcoradio.com/gallery/1938a.htm#k
   ref. 3:    http://www.philcorepairbench.com/tips/svctip01a.htm and http://www.philcorepairbench.com/tips/svctip01.htm
   ref. 4:    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_2exYETEGUY&list=UUuNiOcSNOyHImOJ3sTnsX2A

About my radio:
The radio is in next to mint condition with only minor unoffending scratches in the original finish (pict.6), with original bakelite knobs, field coil speaker, speaker cloth and decal. The chassis has been partially recapped by a former owner. On request I will install a closed circuit phone connector, that can be used also for CD, iPod, and mp3 devices. I treated all moving parts with contact spray. The radio plays loud and clear on AM/BC (it even receives SW stations), which is hard to demonstrate since we don't have AM stations anymore here in Chilliwack. This is why the youtube video (click on thumbnail 28 or go to ref.4) mainly shows reception of my Silvertone wireless record player, playing Elvis Presley's "Hard Headed Woman" on 78 rpm. Please e-mail me (Kris) for any questions, ich spreche Deutsch, je parle Français.

Here are the specifications:

Please have a look at prices and more radios, phonographs and gramophones  here