Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 5 hours ago
Majestic Radios was an American radio brand from 1927 to 1955, trademarked as "The Mighty Monarchs of the Air". Noted for their high quality, they were initially manufactured by the Grigsby-Grunow Company of Chicago. After Grigsby-Grunow's demise in 1934 during the Great Depression, Majestic Radios continued to be made through subsequent corporate ownership changes and reorganizations for another twenty-two years. The Majestic Radio & Television Corporation was formed to produce the radios in the 1930s and 1940s. Following Majestic Radio & Television's liquidation in 1949, Majestic-brand radios were made by a division of the Wilcox-Gay Corporation at their Michigan factory in the 1950s.
Before embarking on radio manufacturing, the Grigsby-Grunow Company had started in 1921 as the Grigsby-Grunow-Hinds Company in Chicago, making such automotive aftermarket items as its "Premier" brand of sun visors. co-founded by Bertram James Grigsby and William Carl Grunow, an Army major in World War I. By 1927, the company had annual nationwide sales of $5 million in manufacturing products such as "Majestic" battery eliminators for home radios. The device, developed by inventor William Lear for Grigsby-Grunow, eliminated the need for a cumbersome array of lead-acid batteries and chargers to power radio receivers of the time. With the growing popularity of the new commercial broadcasting radio medium and the development of nationwide networks in the prosperous 1920s, there was increasing consumer demand for better audio quality and console radios suitable for the living room or parlor of American households.
In 1927, Grigsby-Grunow (by then, Hinds was no longer a part of the enterprise) began making "Majestic" radios featuring dynamic speakers with moving-coils and advanced circuitry employing screen-grid tubes for improved reception. The Majestic Model #71 introduced in 1927, for example, was a tuned radio frequency receiver with a 9-inch (23 cm) speaker, powered from AC house current. This was a considerable improvement over previous radios having typically poor selectivity and producing inferior sound from old-fashioned horn speakers or earphones. Majestic radios were highly regarded for their handsome cabinetry and superior loudspeaker quality. Model #131, a floor console made in 1930, had an 8-tube circuit for high sensitivity and selectivity, along with a 12-inch (30 cm) speaker.
At its peak in 1930, Grigsby-Grunow employed 11,000 workers at its Chicago factory and sales reached $61 million annually. Its stock price had reached dizzying heights and was called "the sensation of the Chicago Exchange" by Time magazine: a share purchased at $40 in 1928 had risen to $1,100 in value at its 1929 peak (taking into account multiple 4-for-1 stock splits). Radio stocks as a new technology were particularly attractive in the rush to buy common stocks during the Roaring Twenties. As Thurman Arnold wrote in 1965: "Economists argued that when you buy common stocks, you buy the future, not the present. Names like Auburn, Grigsby-Grunow, Kolster Radio – names you no longer hear of – flashed across the ticker tape"
Join the Membership for exclusive videos only seen by Members Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCfa6DM2niI8HCWnT_mAnNEg/join
FOR CHANNEL MERCH CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK midwest-flesh-urbex-2.creator-spring.com/?
If you would like to donate to the channel click the following links. Donations are greatly appreciated & help with gas, tolls, batteries & equipment needed to keep going. Thank you Everyone for your support!!!
Disclaimer: All rights to the music used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. Fair Use Notice: This video may contain copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
PAYPAL paypal.com/paypalme/midwestfleshurbex
CA$HAPP https://cash.app/$MidwestFlesh219
AMAZON WISHLIST amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1KP59CJIISHF3
PRINTS Also AVAILABLE
mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox
Majestic Radios was an American radio brand from 1927 to 1955, trademarked as "The Mighty Monarchs of the Air". Noted for their high quality, they were initially manufactured by the Grigsby-Grunow Company of Chicago. After Grigsby-Grunow's demise in 1934 during the Great Depression, Majestic Radios continued to be made through subsequent corporate ownership changes and reorganizations for another twenty-two years. The Majestic Radio & Television Corporation was formed to produce the radios in the 1930s and 1940s. Following Majestic Radio & Television's liquidation in 1949, Majestic-brand radios were made by a division of the Wilcox-Gay Corporation at their Michigan factory in the 1950s.
Before embarking on radio manufacturing, the Grigsby-Grunow Company had started in 1921 as the Grigsby-Grunow-Hinds Company in Chicago, making such automotive aftermarket items as its "Premier" brand of sun visors. co-founded by Bertram James Grigsby and William Carl Grunow, an Army major in World War I. By 1927, the company had annual nationwide sales of $5 million in manufacturing products such as "Majestic" battery eliminators for home radios. The device, developed by inventor William Lear for Grigsby-Grunow, eliminated the need for a cumbersome array of lead-acid batteries and chargers to power radio receivers of the time. With the growing popularity of the new commercial broadcasting radio medium and the development of nationwide networks in the prosperous 1920s, there was increasing consumer demand for better audio quality and console radios suitable for the living room or parlor of American households.
In 1927, Grigsby-Grunow (by then, Hinds was no longer a part of the enterprise) began making "Majestic" radios featuring dynamic speakers with moving-coils and advanced circuitry employing screen-grid tubes for improved reception. The Majestic Model #71 introduced in 1927, for example, was a tuned radio frequency receiver with a 9-inch (23 cm) speaker, powered from AC house current. This was a considerable improvement over previous radios having typically poor selectivity and producing inferior sound from old-fashioned horn speakers or earphones. Majestic radios were highly regarded for their handsome cabinetry and superior loudspeaker quality. Model #131, a floor console made in 1930, had an 8-tube circuit for high sensitivity and selectivity, along with a 12-inch (30 cm) speaker.
At its peak in 1930, Grigsby-Grunow employed 11,000 workers at its Chicago factory and sales reached $61 million annually. Its stock price had reached dizzying heights and was called "the sensation of the Chicago Exchange" by Time magazine: a share purchased at $40 in 1928 had risen to $1,100 in value at its 1929 peak (taking into account multiple 4-for-1 stock splits). Radio stocks as a new technology were particularly attractive in the rush to buy common stocks during the Roaring Twenties. As Thurman Arnold wrote in 1965: "Economists argued that when you buy common stocks, you buy the future, not the present. Names like Auburn, Grigsby-Grunow, Kolster Radio – names you no longer hear of – flashed across the ticker tape"
Join the Membership for exclusive videos only seen by Members Join this channel to get access to perks:
youtube.com/channel/UCfa6DM2niI8HCWnT_mAnNEg/join
FOR CHANNEL MERCH CLICK THE FOLLOWING LINK midwest-flesh-urbex-2.creator-spring.com/?
If you would like to donate to the channel click the following links. Donations are greatly appreciated & help with gas, tolls, batteries & equipment needed to keep going. Thank you Everyone for your support!!!
Disclaimer: All rights to the music used belong to their respective owners. I do not claim ownership over any third-party content used. Fair Use Notice: This video may contain copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
PAYPAL paypal.com/paypalme/midwestfleshurbex
CA$HAPP https://cash.app/$MidwestFlesh219
AMAZON WISHLIST amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1KP59CJIISHF3
PRINTS Also AVAILABLE
mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=rm&ogbl#inbox
