Scott serial numbers

[Kent King]

As most of you know, I've been gathering and analyzing Scott serial numbers for over 20 years. I have a couple requests....first, if you haven't sent me your serial numbers, please do. Also...if any of you have a confirmed date for a set/serial number, please send me that. There is a warranty tag on ebay at the moment, these are great, since they have the date and serial number on them. A letter with a date is also good confirmation. I would greatly appreciate any info you fellows can provide. I'll post more about serial numbers here in the future.

Kent

[Forrest Wagner]

Thanks Kent.  Appreciate the information.  Have an awesome week and stay safe!

Kent King said:

Forrest - I didn't have this serial number. Unfortunately, in this prefix, I don't have any dates to base it on. Knowing the version of the Phantom, it really dates from late 38. It can't go too far into 39 as Scott moved to the Deluxe Phantom fairly early that year. The cabinet and chrome look excellent, very nice set. A fairly unusual cabinet too. 

Kent

[David C. Poland]

Forrest, I believe your Phantom Deluxe is 1940 or maybe 1941.

The 20 tube Deluxe introduced Aug 1939 recognized by virtue of the control below the tuning knobs. Should have the VR tube.

I have a 1939 example without the logging scale that yours does have. Logging scale introduced for 1940.

Yours looks very nice and so does the Victorian credenza, that appears never to have had a phonograph.

Incidentally, you can adjust the spring tension of the top spring lifts through a backside hole using a screw driver.

[David Wilson]

Hi Kent... 

A Scott Masterpiece showed up in a local estate auction last week and I picked it up. The serial number is: NN 263. It has the original amp. The bonus I guess was that instead of the original 12" speaker the radio had a really nice A-12 Jensen reconned by the Speaker Exchange in Florida. It took a little bench work, filter caps and some tubes, to get this radio up and playing. It's was originally restored in the 1980's so I will have to finish going through it and check more on it. It's a nice playing radio. Great AM reception on a loop antenna. The radio was mounted in a 1929 Edison radio cabinet. It's a rare radio cabinet, very ornate. 

David

[Forrest Wagner]

Thanks Dave.  I was thinking that it was from the 40's due to the logging scale.  The Victorian cabinet I have is not original to this Phantom.  I was lucky enough to find a cabinet for the Phantom.  The cabinet, by the way, has a manufacturer label in it from Normal, Illinois.

David C. Poland said:

Forrest, I believe your Phantom Deluxe is 1940 or maybe 1941.

The 20 tube Deluxe introduced Aug 1939 recognized by virtue of the control below the tuning knobs. Should have the VR tube.

I have a 1939 example without the logging scale that yours does have. Logging scale introduced for 1940.

Yours looks very nice and so does the Victorian credenza, that appears never to have had a phonograph.

Incidentally, you can adjust the spring tension of the top spring lifts through a backside hole using a screw driver.

[David C. Poland]

Dave Wilson - you posted to the serial number thread. So, what is the serial number?

Better to open anew thread with a new entry/set.

[Kent King]

Serial number is in the post, NN-263. It was a new one.

[David Wilson]

Hi Kent... how many of these Masterpiece serial numbers do you now have?

David

Kent King said:

Serial number is in the post, NN-263. It was a new one.

[Kent King]

54 with this one. Total production was somewhere between 500 and 700 sets for the model, based on the known serial numbers. 

[David Wilson]

Thanks for the info. Kent. This radio was produced in an interesting time period at Scott with the aquisition of McMurdo Silver's assets from their bankruptcy. In some ways the Scott Masterpiece was an extention of where McMurdo was going with their mid-priced 15-17 model, which was also a good prefoming radio. I'm not even sure it was a smart for Scott to produce this radio because they already had their midpriced radio the Phantom.This could be in part why the Scott Masterpiece had such low production numbers.
Kent King said:

54 with this one. Total production was somewhere between 500 and 700 sets for the model, based on the known serial numbers. 

[David C. Poland]

I view the14 tube model a s a Super12 with enhanced audio, where the significant difference is. My restored Scott Masterpiece  with a CD player into the Phono input, is impressive with very good bass in my Mayfair radio/phono credenza.

The Super 12 and Masterpiece models were recommended by Scott for upgrading a fine older cabinet with a high performance replacement radio. I put one in a 1930 FADA console awhile back.

Bit of a slam for Scott to use the Masterpiece name for his economy model.

[Brad Winder]

But is it a slam? Even the lowest model Scott produced would beat most other high end sets from almost any "Competitor"

David C. Poland said:

I view the14 tube model a s a Super12 with enhanced audio, where the significant difference is. My restored Scott Masterpiece  with a CD player into the Phono input, is impressive with very good bass in my Mayfair radio/phono credenza.

The Super 12 and Masterpiece models were recommended by Scott for upgrading a fine older cabinet with a high performance replacement radio. I put one in a 1930 FADA console awhile back.

Bit of a slam for Scott to use the Masterpiece name for his economy model.

[David C. Poland]

I mean that 1) the fierce competitor custom radio McMurdo Silver having gone bankrupt and 2) Scott having bought certain McMurdo Silver assets, 3) and then Scott naming his smallest 1939 model, The Masterpiece, seems a bit like rubbing salt into a wound.

The Masterpiece V and VI were McMurdo Silver's premier radio and were well regarded Philharmonic level products.