2024 Retro Audio Medallion & Stamp Cover PNC

This medallion cover features limited medallion and corresponding stamp from the Retro Audio stamp issue.

From the 1950s to the 1970s, many Australians enjoyed gathering around a radio or record player, as well as a unit that combined them both, the radiogram. These multi-function entertainment units were manufactured in Australia, largely from Australian components and cabinetry, though often with turntables imported from Britain. They ranged in size from 30-centimetre portable units to two-metre-long furniture pieces. A key feature was the auto-changer, and many played four record speeds.

Early radiograms contained valve amplifiers, until the mid-1960s, when many Australian models began to move to the smaller, cheaper and more energy-efficient transistorised amplifier. The 1960s also saw the introduction of the 'stereophonic' record player (with multi-channel sound, as opposed to single-channel mono). This transformed the radiogram into the 'stereogram', and some later models even incorporated a television. The golden age of Australian radio and radiogram manufacture took a downturn in the 1970s, when a change in import laws saw an influx of cheaper imports. In the 1980s, the record was made largely redundant by the compact disc, but vinyl has made a distinct mainstream comeback in recent years.

The popular HMV Caprice was a mid-range stereogram in a low-boy unit, released in 1961. It had a four-valve amplifier, AM radio and BSR fully-automatic turntable. The 1966 Kriesler Master Multi Sonic was a hi-fidelity, top-of-the-line stereogram, which boasted eight speakers. It included a plug-in microphone, eight-valve amplifier and a Garrard fully-automatic turntable. The 1963 pale-pink AWA B28 was a portable and battery-operated mono record player, an affordable option for the youth market. While not a high-quality item, it included AWA’s revolutionary, locally produced transistor amplifier. AWA was the first manufacturer in Australia to produce a transistor radio.