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Philco (founded as Helios Electric Company, renamed Philadelphia Storage Battery Company in 1906) was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In North America, it is the Philco brand owned by Philips. In other markets, it is the Philco International brand owned by Electrolux.

From its inception until 1904, the company manufactured carbon-arc lamps.

In 1926, Philco began making radios. Philco radios were notable for their economy of design without sacrificing quality or durability. Like other makers of the era, they offered a wide line of radios beginning with five-tube sets all the way up to high-fidelity consoles with 20 tubes in 1937-38.

Philco based their production technique on the mass production methods used for car manufacture.

From 1928 Philco valves were made by the Lansdale Tube Co. This was a division of the main company and based at Church Road, Lansdale PA. Originally Philco purchased most of their valves from Sylvania. They bought out National Union in 1940.

Philo Farnsworth, credited for inventing the first all electronic television system (patent # US1773980- filed Jan 7, 1927), worked at Philco from 1931 to 1933.

In 1931 The Philadelphia Storage Battery Corporation established the PRT Corporation in London, England, to handle the sale of Philco radios. In 1935 a factory was opened at Perivale to assemble radio and related Philco products. In 1936 The Philco Radio and Television Corporation of Great Britain was incorporated as a public company to acquire as a going concern the British assets of the PRT Corporation.

A few of the Philco innovations were very futuristic. From 1939 to 1941, they sold radios that were remotely operated by wireless controls, the one-tube 'Mystery Control', used on their 13-tube model 116RX-SU (or 39-116). This feature was not offered by any other maker until the 1970s stereo receivers. Philco ranked 57th among United States corporations in the value of World War II military production contracts.

Philco sold its first TV set, which had about a seven-inch screen, for $349.50, in 1948. The next year, it sold 800,000 sets.

References: Wikipedia, 1047 et al.

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