Surviving Early Color
Set Database
This database includes all surviving early color sets we are aware of. If you have information on the location
of any of any early color sets, please contact us. All information will be kept in
confidence. With their consent, we will publish the owner's name here. Edited and Maintained by Ed Reitan and Steve McVoy.
Contact either
Ed
or Steve
with updates and comments. For more detailed information on early color
sets, see Ed's site.
Sets added in 2006,
2007,
2008, 2009 and 2010
Field Sequential Sets
|
Manufacturer |
Model/Size |
Surviving (museums) |
Surviving (collectors) |
| CBS |
RX-28 5" prototype (1946) |
1 National Museum of Photography, Film & Television
(England) |
|
|
RX-43/FCC-8 prototype 7" combination receiver magnified
to 9" (1949) |
|
1 John Folsom |
|
12CC2
10" “Combination”/”Dual” receiver magnified to 12 1/2" (the only
commercially sold set) (1951) |
1 MZTV
(Toronto) |
1 Ed Reitan |
|
10" “Slave”/”Companion”
magnified to 12 1/2" (1951) |
1 Canada Science and Technology Museum
(Ottawa) |
1 Ed Reitan |
|
RX-40/41 Color Converter (1950) |
1
Early Television Museum |
1
Anonymous |
|
Personal Viewer
(1950) |
3
Early Television Museum (2) Smithsonian Institute
(DC) |
|
|
Industrial Color Television Monitor Console 7" magnified to 9"
(1951) |
2 Canada Science and Technology Museum
(Ottawa)
CNAM Museum (France) |
|
|
Crosley |
Color Converter |
|
1
Ed Reitan |
|
General Electric |
Projection prototype
(1946) |
1
National Museum of Scotland |
|
|
Gray Research |
Model 1101 10" studio monitor magnified to 12 1/2" (1951) |
2
CNAM Museum (France)
Early Television Museum |
1
Anonymous |
| Unknown |
Color drum assembly, made with rectangular CRT |
|
1
Anonymous |
|
Zenith |
“Smith, Kline, & French”
blonde receiver (1949) (20 built) |
1
Smithsonian Institution (DC) |
3 Dunedin Collection
(Scotland)
Anonymous (2) |
Early NTSC Sets
The following table shows
prototype and first generation production sets made by U. S.
manufacturers. [ ] indicates model number. ( ) indicates quantity
reported but not verified.
FT (Field Test) means a receiver that was used in "Field
Testing" of the NTSC Standards from late 1951 until May 1953. The NTSC
submitted its petition after this testing to the FCC in July 1953.
PT (Prototype) is a set with a metal-cone CRT, or with
screw socket mountings, or with no engraved stamping on the chassis, or
which would have been made in very small quantities, or has
characteristics/circuit additions that would indicate it is an
experimental/prototype set
All other sets were either sold to the public, or have
characteristics that made it clear that the manufacturer had developed
them to the point where they could be sold.
|
Manufacturer |
Model/Size |
Surviving (museums) |
Surviving (collectors) |
|
Admiral |
FT, 15", 21" |
2-21” [C322C
series]
Early Television Museum (2) |
|
3-15” [C1617A]
Julian Burke
John Folsom
Anonymous |
|
3-21” [C322C
series]
John Folsom
Steve Williams
Anonymous |
|
|
Arvin |
15" |
|
(1)- 15"
Anonymous |
|
Capehart |
19", 21" |
1-19” [CXC-12]
Early Television Museum
1-21" [36C216M-5]
Early Television Museum |
1-19” [CXC-12]
Anonymous
1-21" [31T216]
Anonymous |
|
CBS Columbia |
FT, 15", 16", 19", 22"
rectangular |
1-15" PT [RX-90]
Early
Television Museum |
|
2-15" PT [RX-89]
John Folsom
Anonymous |
|
4-15" PT [RX-90]
John Folsom
Anonymous (3) |
|
5-19" [205]
John Folsom
Anonymous (4) |
|
1-22" rectangular
Anonymous |
|
|
Chromatic Television Labs |
Chromatron (several models) |
|
|
|
Col-R-Tel |
Color wheel NTSC converter |
2 [100]
Early Television Museum
Museum of the Moving Image (NY) |
24 [100]
John Folsom
Darryl Hock
Steve Kissinger
Ed Reitan
Anonymous (20)
|
|
Colordaptor |
Color wheel NTSC converter kit |
1 [C-15A]
Early Television Museum |
3 [C-15A]
Anonymous (3) |
|
Conrac |
15", 21" studio monitor |
|
|
|
Crosley |
FT, Chromatron |
|
|
|
Dage |
15" studio monitor |
1-15" [650]
monitor
Early Television Museum |
|
|
Douglas |
15" prototype |
|
|
|
Dumont |
15", 19", 21", 15" studio monitor |
|
|
1-15" [monitor]
John Folsom |
|
(1)-15" PT receiver
Anonymous |
|
|
Emerson |
FT, 15", 21" |
|
|
|
Fada |
15" prototype |
|
|
|
General Electric |
FT, 15", 21,", 15" studio monitor |
|
1-15” [15CL100]
Early Television Museum
|
|
1-15” [4TM15]
monitor
Early Television Museum |
|
|
2-15” [15CL100]
John Folsom
Anonymous
|
|
4-15” [4TM15]
monitor
Fred Hoffman
Anonymous (3) |
|
1-21" [21C700]
Sean Duffy |
|
|
Gilfillan |
Chromatron, 21" |
|
2- PT 21”
Ed Reitan
Anonymous |
|
Hallicrafters |
FT, Chromatron, 15", 21" |
|
1-21” [21CK801] Hallicrafters cabinet - CTC4
chassis (note 6)
Ed Reitan |
|
Hazeltine |
FT, Triniscope, 16” projector (6 models) |
|
|
|
Hoffman |
15", 19", 21" |
1-19" [Colorcaster]
Early
Television Museum |
|
|
Magnavox |
21" |
|
|
|
Majestic |
15" |
|
|
|
Montgomery-Ward |
21" |
|
|
|
Motorola |
FT, 15", 19", 21" |
|
1-21" [19CK1]
Early Television Museum |
|
1-21" [19CK2]
Early Television Museum |
|
1-19" [19CT1]
Early Television Museum |
|
3-21” [19CT1]
Early Television Museum
Pioneer Village (NE)
Radio & Television Museum (MD) |
|
|
3-15” [16CK1]
John Folsom (2)
Bob Galanter |
|
1-21" [19CK1]
Anonymous |
|
4-19" [19CT1]
John Folsom
Fred Hoffman
Anonymous (2) |
|
Chip Foley |
Tom Genova |
Anonymous (3) |
|
|
3-21" [21CT2]
John Folsom
Charlie Trahan
Anonymous
|
|
|
Muntz |
Chromatron, 21” |
|
1-21” [721CV] (note
6)
John Folsom |
|
Olympic |
21" |
|
|
|
Pacific Mercury (Sears) |
16" |
|
1-16" PT chassis with
metal color CRT and early “wand” convergence assembly
Ed Reitan |
|
Packard Bell |
21" |
|
|
|
Philco |
FT, 15", 21", Apple |
2-21" [TV-123]
Early Television Museum
Pioneer Village (NE) |
|
1-15”
PT
John Folsom |
|
4
(1)-21" [TV-123]
John Folsom
Pete Deksnis
Anonymous (3) |
|
|
Polarad |
15" monitor [M-200] |
|
|
|
Raytheon |
15" FT, 19", 21" |
|
1-15" PT (chassis only)
Anonymous |
|
RCA Labs |
15 Triniscope models, Telemural color
projector [TLS50] |
1- PT [Triniscope]
UCLA (CA) |
1 - Telemural color projector with 21CT55 chassis
[TLS50]
John Folsom |
|
RCA Color Products Group |
14 FT models |
1-15” [Model 5]
Early Television Museum |
|
1- PT [Triniscope]
Anonymous
|
|
7-15” [Model 5] (note 1)
John Folsom
Monty Holt (2)
Ed Reitan
Anonymous (3) |
|
|
RCA Victor |
6 commercial models |
|
|
26
(1)-21" [CTC4]
John Folsom
Mark Mason
Keith Park
Ed Reitan
J Stout
Anonymous (22) |
|
|
RCA Broadcast |
15”, 21” studio monitors |
|
1-15" [TM10]
Museum of the Moving Image (NY) |
|
1-21" [TM21]
Early Television Museum |
|
|
4-15" [TM10]
John Folsom
Anonymous (3) |
|
5-21" [TM21]
John Folsom
Fred Hoffman
Anonymous (3) |
|
|
Sears-Silvertone |
15", 21" |
|
1-15” PT [4160]
John Folsom |
|
Sears - Toshiba |
16" rectangular |
|
3-16"
rectangular
Ed Reitan
Anonymous (2) |
|
Sentinel |
15", 21" |
1-21" [IU-816]
(Note 6)
Early Television Museum |
|
|
Setchell-Carlson |
21" |
|
|
|
Sparton |
15" |
Early Television Museum |
|
|
Stromberg-Carlson |
15", 21" |
|
|
2-15” [K1]
Ed Reitan
Anonymous |
|
1-21" [102CM]
using CTC4 chassis (note 6)
John Folsom |
|
|
Sylvania |
FT, 15", 21" |
1-21" [21C609M]
using CTC4 chassis (note 6)
Early Television Museum |
|
3 (1)-15” [451]
John Folsom
Anonymous (3) |
|
2 - 31C/T Series
John Horvath
Anonymous |
|
|
|
Tel-Instrument Co. |
Color picture monitor |
|
(Van Nuys - slide scanner and triniscope) [2400] |
|
Telechrome Inc. |
Triniscope picture monitor |
|
(Lost Gilfillan Lab configuration with 10 racks) |
|
Tele-King |
FT |
|
|
|
Truetone |
19"
(note 7) |
|
|
|
Western Auto |
21" |
|
|
|
Westinghouse |
FT, 15", 19", 21", 22" rectangular |
|
1-15"
PT (note 4)
Early Television Museum |
|
3-15” [H840CK15]
(note 3)
Early Television Museum
Westinghouse Museum (PA)
Wingham Museum (Ontario, Canada) |
|
|
13 (1)-15” [H840CK15]
(note 3)
John Folsom
Fred Hoffman
Anonymous (12) |
|
2 (1)-22" rectangular
Anonymous (3) |
|
|
Wickes |
15/16” monitor |
|
|
|
Wilcox-Gay |
15" (Majestic) |
|
|
|
Zenith |
FT, 15" |
|
7-15" (note
5)
John Folsom
Anonymous (6) |
Notes:
1) 200 units were manufactured for use by RCA
distributors and NBC affiliates for demonstrations of the first
coast-to-coast colorcast of the January 1, 1954 Tournament of Roses
Parade.
2) Approximately 5000 RCA CT-100s were made. Count for
surviving RCA CT-100 from Pete
Deksnis' site. Pete reports that 37 of these sets are opertional. If you are an owner of a RCA CT-100, Pete would like to hear from you.
3) Approximately 500 H840CK15s were made. For more on
Westinghouse H840CK15 go to
Marlin Mackley's site.
4) Preproduction prototype, with different HV section and extra chassis
for color AFC.
5) One surviving set has a Hytron CRT.
6) See this page about "clone" CTC-4 sets
7) Probably made by Raytheon
8) Approximately 3000 RCA 21CT55s were made, using the a CTC-2 chassis similar to that used in the CT-100. See Pete
Deksnis' site. |
