The 'Philco' brand was introduced in NZ in 1929 and lasted until around 1962.
'Philco' branded equipment was manufactured by Dominion Radio and Electrical Corporation Ltd,
they were distributed by Chas Begg & Co. Ltd.
Currently there are 70 documented models.
**NOTE** Imported USA models are not currently catalogued - production in New Zealand started around 1940, after the government introduced protectionist measures and banned the imports of foreign radios.
Philco began life in 1892 as the Helios Electric Company producing carbon arc lamps, but reorganised as the Philadelphia Battery Storage Company in 1906 to manufacture batteries for the burgeoning automotive industry. The trademark name 'Philco' was introduced in 1909, and by the 1920's they were producing batteries, chargers, and battery eliminators for the rapidly-growing radio industry. They had just got this line of products running efficiently, and had big plans to expand, when RCA pulled the rug out from underneath them with the introduction, in 1927, of radio valves that could operate on AC and simply needed to be plugged in - no batteries required.
Philco management decided to pivot, and in 1928 they released their first ever 'Philco' radio - a remarkable feat, in a remarkable timeframe for a large manufacturing organisation... but one that changed the radio industry. By 1930 they were the leading radio manufacturer in the US of A, and they were responsible for almost 1/3 of all radios sold there by the mid 1930s.
Philco had been imported and distributed in New Zealand by Chas Begg from 1929, although import restrictions introduced in 1937 meant that only the chassis was imported and fitted to locally manufactured cabinets. By 1939 Dominion Radio & Electrical Corp. had been set up in Auckland to produce Philco sets for the NZ market.
The Philco Tropic range from around the WW2 era had chrome plated chassis' similar to overseas models but this costly process gave way to blue paint some time after the war ended.
Model numbers generally (with the exception of some models from the early-mid 1940's) did not follow the American style of starting with the year (eg: 41-722) and while they started off looking very much like their American cousins they slowly drifted further and further from any similarity.
Philco continued to be a leading brand in the NZ marketplace until the early 60's when, due to the parent company being sold off to Ford, the ties between the NZ manufacturers (DRECO) and Philco USA were severed, and DRECO introduced the Majestic brand to replace it.
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