In a Nutshell
Two instances of the radio in the authentic color white or ivory, both serviced to perfection with optional telescope antennas and/or handles. You buy one, and choose which one, the white or the ivory

Introduction:
  There are different reasons why a specific vintage radio commands extraordinary collector's interest. A Saba radio for example excels in technical specifications of its chassis, a Fada bullet in aesthetics, an Ingraham cabinet in craftsmanship, an Emerson "Mae West" by its boldness. A radio can also come to fame - even long after its first inception - simply because it was used as a prop in a famous movie or TV series, the best known case being Zenith's model 232, otherwise called the "Walton". Here is another one: Packard Bell's model AR-851, known as the "Gilligan's Island" radio. At first sight it is just another 1960's Japanese transistor radio, which it is. But one has to ask oneself: why was it chosen by the movie's prop department in the first place? And then you can speculate: after all it is a beautiful radio and with 8 transistors an excellent performer. Widely accepted is the belief that during the 1964-67 shootings of the series they used two radios slightly differing by their colors, white and off-white, often also called ivory or beige. I think, these color variations are the result of poor manufacturing control and/or aging under different light exposures and/or different camera settings when taking pictures. The two radios presented here too seem to be differently colored - I call them the white and the ivory radio - but only when photographed side by side, and I refer to them as being both in the authentic Gilligan color, as opposed to a brown version, that also was sold by Packard Bell. There is no mention of a model number on or inside the radios. But since there exists an almost identical radio, model AR-851 made by Aiwa (ref.3), this model number is normally assigned also to the Packard Bell version. Certainly the radio was made in Japan and has an almost generic 8-transistor chassis using Toshiba's 2SA/SB Germanium pnp transistors. The show radio's antenna and handle however were not authentic but added by the show's prop crew. I include telescope antennas and handles, that easily could be put or lightly glued on top of the radios for visual purposes only. The radio does not profit from a telescope antenna in any way, since it has a very efficient ferrite antenna, and does not need a handle either, having a recessed finger hold at the back. You can in fact see and hear the radio's chassis playing without the telescope antenna in season 1, episode 18 aired on Jan. 30, 1965, after the professor put the coconut recharged batteries back into the chassis (watch my youtube video by clicking on thumbnail 24 or going to ref. 4). If you intend to find an antenna with that elephant foot, you may try car dealers.

Additional information:
ref.1: http://www.gilligansisle.com/radio.html
ref.2: https://www.ebay.ca/itm/271171434651
ref.3: https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/aiwa_ar851ar_85.html
ref.4: https://youtu.be/Xk7BUo3IBLI
ref.5: http://www.radio-antiks.com/Ebaymin2_Radio-Antiks_Gilligans.htm

About my Radios:
The radios are in mint, working and all-original condition. They both keep their original battery tubes and their original metallic knob brights. The cabinets have no cracks, chips, offending scratches or discolorations, and have been painstakingly cleaned, inside and out. The volume pots and tuning caps have been deoxydized and the optimal alignment checked. The radios play fine with strong volume, no static and no noticeable distortions. For the tests and videos I had moved them to Vancouver downtown. The youtube video shows the radios working perfectly (ref. 4). In this auction you buy one radio and choose which one, the white or the ivory. Please e-mail me (Kris) for any questions, ich spreche Deutsch, je parle Français.

Here are the specifications:

Shipping and handling: EBay's shipping calculator is not working. You can estimate shipping costs with the help of CanadaPost's shipping calculator. Take my Canadian postal code V2R5P6 and remember yours, take size and weight from the above table, add estimated box padding and weight and choose between the different shipping options. Don't forget insurance!

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