For a while, Zenith was able to offer one of the best transistor pocket radios (big pockets!) in spite of Japanese competition. This was the model 500 line that was built from 1955 until 1965. Most were good, though the final two models were basically junk because the Japanese had finally crushed even Zenith with their cheap crap. I have seen these around for years, but most were usually dead and I always cringed at the prices as these radios are collector's items. I finally gave in and shelled out some bucks for this one. It's been recapped and aligned, so it was probably worth the price. It is definitely a good performing transistor radio for its time. :)