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Early Color Television

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

Manufacturer

Model/Size

Surviving (museums)

Surviving (collectors)
CBS RX-28 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
Raduga (Russian) Receiver
1
Popov Museum (St. Petersburg)
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) 
1
Dunedin Collection (Scotland)
Zenith Corp (not verified)
1950 over the air version of SKF set  
1
Mike Molnar

Early NTSC Sets/Monitors

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"

 
Julian Burke
John Folsom
Anonymous
21"
Early Television Museum (2)
John Folsom
Steve Williams
Anonymous (2)
Arvin 15"  
(1) - 15"
Anonymous
Capehart 19"
1 - CXC-12
Early Television Museum
1 - CXC-12
Anonymous
21"
1 - 36C216M-5
Early Television Museum
1 - 31T216
Anonymous
CBS Columbia FT    
15"
1 - RX-90
Early Television Museum
2 - RX-89
John Folsom
Anonymous
4 - RX-90
John Folsom
Mike Molnar
Anonymous (2)
16"    
19"
1 - 205, 1 - 205 chassis
Early Television Museum
 
6 - 205
John Folsom
Mike Molnar (note 9)
David Roper (note 9)
Anonymous (3)
22" rectangular  
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)

 
25 - 100
Michael Feldt
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" studio monitor    
21" studio monitor    
Crosley FT, Chromatron  

 
Dage 15" studio monitor
1 - 650
Early Television Museum

 
Douglas 15" prototype  

 
Dumont 15"  
(1 )- 15" prototype
Anonymous
15" studio monitor  
1 - monitor
John Folsom
19"    
21"    
Emerson FT, 15", 21"    
Fada 15" prototype    
General Electric FT    
15"
1 - 15CL100

Early Television Museum
3 - 15CL100
John Folsom
Col Wood
Anonymous (1)
15" studio monitor
1 - 4TM15
Early Television Museum

4 - 4TM15
Fred Hoffman
Anonymous (3)
21"

 
1 - 21C700
Sean Duffy
Gilfillan Chromatron    
21"  
2 - prototype
Ed Reitan
Anonymous
Hallicrafters FT    
Chromatron    
15"    
21"  
2 - 21CK801 (note 6)
Bob Galanter
Ed Reitan
Hazeltine FT    
Triniscope    
16" projector (6 models)  

 
Hoffman 15"  
2 (1) - 15M1300U Colorcaster
John Folsom
Anonymous (2)

19"
 1 - Colorcaster
Early Television Museum
2 - Colorcaster

Anonymous (2)
21"  

6 - M4021A Colorcaster
Charles Sanders
Anonymous (5)
Homemade Projection receiver
1 - Projection receiver
Early Television Museum
Color drum receiver
1
Early Television Museum
Magnavox 21"
Majestic 15"
Montgomery-Ward 21"  
Motorola FT    
15"  
3 - 16CK1
John Folsom (2)
Bob Galanter
19"
4 - 19CT1
Early Television Museum
Early Television Museum (note 9)
Pioneer Village (NE) (note 9)
Radio & Television
Museum (MD) (note 9)
1 - 19CK1 (note 9)
Early Television Museum
1 - 19CK2 (note 9)
Early Television Museum
10 - 19CT1
John Folsom
Fred Hoffman
Mike Molnar
Chip Foley (note 9)
Tom Genova (note 9)
Anonymous
Anonymous (4) (note 9)
1 -19CK1
Anonymous (note 9)
21"  
3 - 21CT2
John Folsom (note 9)
Charlie Trahan (note 9)
Anonymous (note 9)
Muntz Chromatron    
21"  
2 - 721CV (note 6)
John Folsom
Anonymous
Olympic 21"  

 
Pacific Mercury (Sears) 16"  
1 - prototype chassis
with metal color CRT and early
“wand” convergence assembly
Ed Reitan
Packard Bell 21"  
1 - 21CC1
Anonymous
Philco FT    
15"  
1 - prototype
John Folsom
21"

2 - TV-123
Early Television Museum
Pioneer Village (NE)
5 (1) - TV-123
John Folsom
Pete Deksnis
Anonymous (4)
Apple  
Philharmonic (AMC) 15"    
Polarad 15" monitor [M-200]  

 
Raytheon 15" FT  
1 - prototype chassis
Anonymous
19"    
21"  
1 - C21C1M
Anonymous
RCA Labs 15 Triniscope models
1- prototype Triniscope
UCLA (CA)
 
Telemural color projector [TLS50]  
1 - Telemural color projector
with 21CT55 chassis TLS50
John Folsom
RCA Color Products Group 14 FT models
1 - Model 5
Early Television Museum
1 - 16" prototype chassis
Nick Williams

1 - prototype Triniscope
Ed Alfonsi
8 - Model 5 (note 1)
John Folsom
Monty Holt (2)
Mike Molnar

Ed Reitan
Anonymous (3)
RCA Victor 15" commercial model
16 - CT-100 (note 2)
124 - CT-100 (note 2)
5 - 21" commerical models
5 - 21CT55
Early Television Museum (3)
MZTV (Toronto)
UCLA (CA)
3 - CTC4
Early Television Museum (3)

 
31 (1) - CTC4
John Folsom
Mark Mason
Keith Park
Ed Reitan
J Stout
Anonymous (27)
15 (1) - 21CT55 (note 8)
John Folsom
Steve Kissinger
Ed Reitan
Nick Williams
Anonymous (11)
RCA Broadcast 15" studio monitor

1 - TM10
Museum of the Moving Image (NY)
5 - TM10
John Folsom
Phil Nelson
Anonymous (3)
21" studio monitor

1 - TM21
Early Television Museum
5 - TM21
John Folsom
Fred Hoffman
Anonymous (3)
Sears-Silvertone 15"  
1 - prototype 4160
John Folsom
21"    
Sears - Toshiba 16" rectangular  
4 - rectangular
Ed Reitan
Joe Theriot
Anonymous (2)
Sentinel 15"  
21"
1 - IU-816 (Note 6)
Early Television Museum
Setchell-Carlson 21"  

 
Sparton 15"
1 - 16A211
Early Television Museum
1 - prototype
John Folsom
Stromberg-Carlson 15"  
2 - K1
Ed Reitan
Anonymous
21"  
1 - 102CM (note 6)
John Folsom
Sylvania FT    
15"  
3 (1 ) - 451
John Folsom
Anonymous (3)
21"
1 - 21C609M (note 6)
Early Television Museum
2 - 31CT Series
John Horvath
Anonymous
Tel-Instrument Co.     (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)    
Uniray 21"    
Western Auto 21"  

 
Westinghouse FT    
15"
1 - prototype (note 4)
Early Television Museum
3 - H840CK15 (note 3)
Early Television Museum
Westinghouse Museum (PA)
Wingham Museum (Canada)
14 (1) - H840CK15 (note 3)
John Folsom
Fred Hoffman
Anonymous (12)
19"    
21"    
22" rectangular  
2 (1) - H22T155
Anonymous (3)
Wickes 15/16" monitor  

 
Wilcox-Gay 15" (Majestic)  

 
Zenith FT, 15"  
7 - 15" (note 5)
John Folsom
Mike Molnar
Anonymous (5)

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 4400 RCA CT-100s were made. Pete Deksnis 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. Here is a list of serial numbers from Pete.

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. Here is a list of serial numbers from Pete Deksnis.

9) Modified with 21 inch CRT