AMC Model 126 ‘Three-ring’ radio in red and orange catalin, $34,000 (£25,300) at Ahlers & Ogletree.
All of them sold, and some soared far above their guides.
The biggest winner was an AMC Model 126 ‘Three-ring’ radio in red and orange catalin, which hammered for $34,000 (£25,300) against a $2200-4200 guide.
“This was truly a spectacular radio,” said Robert Ahlers. “It is rare to find this uncommon colourway in such strong condition, so multiple bidders presented themselves on this lot.”
Senior cataloguer Rebecca Louderback supplied details that illustrated the quality of the radio’s condition: “It retains its shine and manufacturer’s label, it has its full back cover, its knobs aren’t melted, and the fabric under its grill is intact.”
Ahlers reports that the AMC Model 126 was the subject of “heated bidding above the $11,000 level from four bidders,” two in the saleroom and two on the house’s own online platform. The victor from the US bid online.
The second most-expensive radio lot in the April 22 session was an Air King Model 52 Skyscraper radio in a lavender plaskon case. Guided at $7000-15,000, it hammered for $32,500 (£24,175). A ‘sibling’ in mint green hammered for $22,500 (£16,730) against an estimate of $15,000-20,000.
Clockwise from left: Air King Model 52 Skyscraper radio in lavender, $32,500 (£24,175); Emerson Model 564 ‘slot grill’ catalin radio, $1300 (£965); Fada Model 53X Art Deco catalin radio, $1500 (£1115) at Ahlers & Ogletree.
The lavender Air King features a decorative flourish that the mint green Air King lacks. Louderback dubbed it a “crystalline finish”, which imbues the radio’s surface with texture and flickers of pearlescence and gold. “Lavender is a coveted colour, and to find one intact with the crystalline finish is even more rare. It’s an exceptional find.”
It, too, was the subject of a battle that pitted online bidders against two in the saleroom. Ahlers said the winner “had travelled cross-country to attend our auction in person”.
Espy – who delivered more than 20,000 babies during his medical career – also collected sporting memorabilia, Hollywood artefacts and material relating to Elvis Presley, who shared his birth date of January 8, 1935.
Julien’s dispersed a selection of Espy’s holdings in November 2019, with more items sold by Christie’s in an online sale in October 2025. It included the pinstriped jersey Lou Gehrig wore at Yankee Stadium in 1939 on his last day as an active player.
