[Steve D.]

AK member Charlie Trahan rescued one of these rare sets from an old tv shop. Here's his post from Jan. 2004:

Went to the old local TV shop today. Wasn't really expecting to find anything that I hadn't seen before, but I did! I went digging around in an area that I hadn't looked in before, and found some unique color sets! I was really excited because we have recently been talking a lot about "the lost years" and Motorolas.
This one is a 1957 Motorola 21CT2M (Chassis TS905). It's in Sams 371-5. Unfortunately, the top isn't in the greatest of shape from sitting in that old attic for the past 30+ years, and some of the insides are somewhat rusty. It's not as bad as some of the other sets I've brought home from this shop. (My Sylvania HaloLight was in the same condition, and I had to put in MANY hours of work to make it run and look nice)
It looks like there was a failure at the yoke. In the photos, you'll see ash in the yoke area and it's also all over the power supply chassis below.
This has a 30 tube chassis, and the 21AXP22A (which tested very good). It has a unique looking switch assembly for the blue lateral magnet. According to Sam, part of this switch is for blue size. What is blue size? Never heard of that one before.
Whether it's a TV or radio, I have always felt that Motorolas had a style that set them apart from all other brands. This one is no exception. That big honkin' channel selector is pretty cool looking. It also has a neat push-button power switch, although it looks like it does not work because someone installed a little toggle switch on the top left rear of the cabinet. I was disappointed at first that the pencil box was missing, but once I got it home I found it inside the cabinet.
The cabinet has that cheesy fake wood stuff on it. The sides are in okay shape, but the stuff is peeling off the top. It could be fixed up with a piece of veneer I suppose.
This set will have to sit for a while before I can pull the chassis. I have too many others out there that are waiting in line for attention. Hopefully I'll be able to do something with it, but not today.
__________________
Charlie Trahan


-Steve D.