Cossor Radio

Cossor Model Numbers.

 

Cossor model numbers are usually 3 or 4 digits long, After 1938 a series of 2 digit numbers were created, the following does not apply to the 2 digit numbers.

 

The model year is usually in the number, but Cossor liked to mix it up a bit!

Unless otherwise stated I will refer to the Model year as opposed to the year of first manufacture.

 

In general for earlier sets the number will start with a 3 unless its an upmarket set or a Radiogram (or they simply ran out of numbers!).

 

So as an example the Cossor 375 is a 1937 model year first released in 1936. for the majority of Cossor sets the numbering holds true right up until the early 1950's.

Some model years however there more than 10 sets released say 370 to 379, then they added a 4^th digit in general the first 2 digits are the model year. Example 3764 a 1937 model year set first released in 1936.

Sometimes however there are gaps with a model number having not been used.

 

Special cases 1

Numbers beginning 5,6,7,8 that are obviously 1930's sets not post war.

Here the model year is usually the second 2 digits. Example models 535, 736 and 833 model years 1935, 1936 and 1933 respectively

Special cases 2

Numbers beginning 4 and 5 that are obviously prewar with big oversize dials in striking Walnut cases. These are 1938 model year sets released in 1937 and are referred to in Cossor literature as the 48 and 58 series chassis.

 

Special cases 3

There are some sets where there no coherence to the numbering system and I will list all the examples I am aware of here.

221, 1932 :

238,338,348 these three sets are all in the 1937/8 Catalogue you can sort of see a pattern all contain a 3 and an 8 but its not easy.

Then there's the 376B turns up in 1935 and 1936 very different cabinets pretty much the same chassis and the Cossor Courier August 1936 pretends its an all new set, very odd.

More examples to follow

Cossor Model Numbers after Philips took over Cossors domestic Radio-TV business.

 

Philips took over in 1958 and sets built for the 1959 season the model numbers all changed.

Radios, radiograms, record players and tape recorders now start with CR presumably Cossor Radio.

This is then followed by a 4 digit number.

There is then an option letter usually a U, T or A.

T seems to stand for Transistor with A standing for AC only and U AC/DC but this is not confirmed.

As a rule of thumb:

CR11** and CR12** are valve radios

CR13** are transistor radios

CR15** are Radiograms

CR16** are Tape recorders.

CR18** are portable record players

occasionally there is a /01 or similar notation when there is more than one version of the same model.

Virtually all of these sets have an equivalent Philips model, a Stella model or both.

 

Cossor TV sets start with CT followed by 4 digits. again there is almost always a corresponding Philips Stella or both.

CT17**, CT19** and CT21**