1920s Home Built 8 Tube Superheterodyne Radio

Description

1920s Home Built 8 Tube Superheterodyne Radio. Amazing radio built in 1927 by Joseph W. Willis. This is without a doubt the most stunning home built radio I have ever seen, the glass front makes this radio an amazing conversation and display piece. Led wifi controllable lighting has been hidden under the rim of the frame doing a beautiful job of accenting this historic radio.
During the 1920s there was a patent fight going on for control of the rights to the superheterodyne principal of radio opperation. Up until about 1930 RCA controlled the patents for this disruptive new technology and refused to license any other manufacturers, to get around this there were many kit and home built radios being created to take advantage of the new technology without having to buy a RCA receiver, this radio is a piece of that history.
Adding an even more amazing element to the appeal of the radio is the letter that was found inside the cabinet written by the son of the builder detailing it's construction and history, it is framed now and included with the radio. Here is the text of the letter with some spelling and grammar corrections, dated 8/1/91-
"Built by my father, Joseph W. Willis Sr.
It was completed in time for the Jack Dempsey, Gene Tunney heavyweight championship fight in the year 1928(?) the radio is all hand made.
I remember the night of the fight, my father placed the radio on the front porch and people from all over the neighborhood filled the street, it was a sight that I will never forget.
Information on my father
Joseph W. Willis Sr
Born August 1, 1892 in Rhode Island
Died at the age of 89
His trade was as a Brown & Sharpe
Double 00 Screw Machine operator
-Joseph W Willis Jr"
The prize fight mentioned in the letter happened September 22, 1927. It was the biggest sporting event in America at the time, one of the first to be broadcast live, and the first to exceed two million dollars in gate fees!
This is truly as one of a kind as it gets in radio history, I really wrestled with the decision to part with it but have decided to concentrate my collection on my ham radio gear rather than broadcast receivers.
I have made no attempt to power this radio up, as such it is sold for display purposes and not warrantied to be functional in any way.
All of the tubes are manufactured by Cunningham, Seven are CX-301-A, and one is a CX-371-A. The radio uses two Karas Harmonik audio frequency transformers, and six Victoreen Radio Corporation transformers.
The only damage I have found apart from the normal aging of the finish after almost a hundred years, is a chip out of the top left corner of the lid visible in the pictures, and a cracked glass terminal strip inside the radio.
This radio really should not be shipped, it is far too delicate. The high shipping cost is because I will hand deliver it within 500 miles, beyond that I would prefer to meet halfway. Shipping would be the last resort. If you are closer than 500 miles the delivery cost will be adjusted accordingly.
Feel free to contact me for more pictures or information, and I would be interested in any information you may have on the radio even if you are not interested in purchasing it.
Thank you for looking.