STELLA MODEL S8 'POLARIS' (CIRCA 1940)

The Stella model S8 was manufactured for Cory-Wright & Salmon Ltd by Collier & Beale Ltd in about 1940.

All-wave valve radio with push-button tuning.

Dated by having the same dial style as the 1940-model Cromwell sets from Collier and Beale

Probably an updated version of the S8 shown below with an oval dial.

8 pushbuttons for instant tuning.

This cabinet was also used for the Oxford 56M

1938 Stella S8 'Polaris'
EVENING POST, 9 JUNE 1938

Technical Information

Valves (7 + magic eye):

Frequency Bands: 3

General Construction Notes for Collier & Beale Ltd:

Model numbering followed no real sensible scheme until around 1940 - and prior to 1934 apparently no model numbers were assigned at all.

From 1940 a 3- or 4-digit system was employed where the first digit indicates the number of valves, the second digit is the number of bands and the third is the year of manufacture.  From 1950 the last digit became two digits, eg: 5151 is a 5-valve broadcast-band only from 1951.

From 1957 model numbers were replaced with model names, ie the Pacemaker Buffalo - which makes the year of manufacture hard to determine unless service info is consulted (although C&B often released service info after the radio, and the date on the service info was for its release, not that of the model.