What is this?
 

I saw this on pinterest this eve. This cant be real?? 1938 it says?? Maybe 8 to 10 years older?

1938 GE Prototype. Ten years earlier and you'd be in the mechanical TV era.

http://www.earlytelevision.org/ge_1938_prototype.html

Thanks Eric never seen these pics at the ETF site. Sorry, meant to say newer ie 46 to 48 , but typed in older!!

There were a whole gaggle of pre-war electronic sets produced at least as far back as 1936....Some were one-offs some were produced in semi-mass-production numbers like the TRK-12/TRK-120. RCA was actually trying to market the TRK-12 to the public before NTSC was standardized, and some other companies did offer some sets to the public....Though not all such sales were company sanctioned.

I too was shocked years ago to learn that television, mechanical television, was available in the late '20's, and all-electronic in the late '30's! The late '30's/early '40's TV sets are not only rare museum pieces, but they were produced in beautiful art-deco radio-like cabinets. That Philco model you posted is a one-of-kind gem! The company made a slew of impressive pre-war tabletop and console TV's, but none seemed to have been sold to the public. They wouldn't have their first production set until 1948.

That model is a GE. It was a prototype that eventually morphed into the GE HM-171. You're correct about Philco prewar sets never being sold to the public though.

Thanks for the correction. I should've realized that myself!