Oldest 604 I've ever seen

[Old Guy]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ALTEC-LANSING-60...QQcmdZViewItem

I find the label interesting- there is one from same seller a couple years newer

[Steve Schell]

Old Guy, this 604 is authentic, though the seller is off a bit in his dating. The 604 was introduced in late 1944 or early 1945. A friend of mine owns two 604s with the black and white decal, one in the 20s and one in the 70s (serial number wise) as I recall. This decal appeared on many of the Lansing products, replacing the beautiful Lansing metal badges, shortly after All Technical's purchase of Lansing Manufacturing Company in late 1941.

The 604's immediate predecessor was the 15" field coil Duplex model 601, introduced in 1943. More on it can be found here:

http://audioheritage.org/vbulletin/s...y+grail+driver

Next came the red, white and blue decal on the 604 and other products of the time, followed by the gray and gold decal as seen on the seller's other 604. Approximately 4,000 604s were built before the 604B replaced it in 1947.

Thanks for pointing out this auction; it is fun to see these rarities surface now and then.