I've been sorting through some knobs and came across this odd looking one with channel #1. Any ideas ?
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8083/8305479332_ebeb2c5684_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/70039806@N00/8305479332/)

I have no idea what it's for but am wondering if that's the knob or the bezel?
It seems that another knob with a pointer might go inside it?
Or possibly it went behind a mask with a window so only one number at a time showed?

You're right, the hold through the center is smooth so a shaft could rotate through it.

Sparton Mirror in Lid 4900 or 4940. It rotates inside the large round windowed raised gold bezel. Here is a link to one on Chuck's site:

http://www.myvintagetv.com/sparton_4940.htm

Cool, mystery solved :)

The caption for the Sparton mirror-in-lid TV says it has a 12 channel tuner. the mystery item features numbers 1 through 13.

Also the numbers would be upside down with the channel window in that location.

I think the general idea is correct though, it was used in something like this, perhaps a different Sparton, one with the window on the bottom?

I've been sorting through some knobs and came across this odd looking one with channel #1. Any ideas ?
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Bob,

Next time you are in the Early Television Museum, you might look at their 1949 Sparton:

http://www.earlytelevision.org/sparton_4951.html

Click on the image to enlarge, then click again and it will expand more. I believe that is your knob.

The FCC dropped channel 1 in 1948, but several sets still had the obsolete channel in 1949.

This could simply be an early production 1949 set.

I think that this knob rotated, but since it had to be aligned to the tuner shaft and the window, it was held in place with a spring clamp outside the plastic.

Here we go. Maybe you also have the missing channel knob that goes to this set?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-MIRRORED-SPARTON-TV-MODEL-4940-CHANNEL-1-1947-PARTS-RESTORATION-/321051929820?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4ac02facdc

Looks like this set has the outer part with the channel #s but they stuck a 'tone' knob in the center.

Wouldn't mind getting one someday, but this one is a little too rough and far away.