08/20/2026
Some vacuum tubes are old. This one was already old before most of our grandparents were born.
This is an original RCA Radiotron UV-201 from approximately 1920–1922 — brass base, tipped globe, made by General Electric for RCA, and from the very beginning of commercial American radio.
Even better, this one didn’t just survive beautifully. It still works.
I carefully tested it on the Triplett 3444 and documented the actual results: 5.2 mA plate current and approximately 440 µmhos, with no shorts indicated. The GE emblem is still visible on the glass, the original Radiotron UV-201 markings remain on the brass base, and the globe is remarkably clean for something more than a century old.
There is something pretty satisfying about seeing a piece of technology from the dawn of radio light up and do exactly what it was made to do all these years later.
It’s now available from VTubeAudio on eBay:
Surviving RADIOTRON / MODEL UV-201 base markings. Intact tipped globe envelope. Visible GE emblem on the glass. Grid bias: -4.5 V. Brass UV base. Tester: Triplett 3444 Laboratory Tube Analyzer. The photographs show the exact tube you will receive.
