Eighty years ago this month, the June 1938 issue of Radio Today carried this ad for the Crosley model 418 “Vanity,” a compact set featuring pushbutton tuning, retailing for $9.95.

The ad speaks of the brown plastic set in the most glowing of terms, but the electronics inside were very basic, although more than adequate for pulling in local stations. The set contained three tubes (plus a ballast) and was a TRF receiver with regenerative detector. More details can be found at this link.  The schematic seems to show a connection for an external antenna, which would probably prove helpful for all but the strongest stations.

For $12.95, a deluxe version was available, the main difference being that the more expensive set contained “four working tubes,” meaning that it apparently had an extra RF stage.

Either set could be placed with the buttons either at the top or the bottom. In either configuration, the ad noted, the set could also be used as a bookend.