RCA TRK-12 1939 (U.S.A.) The 12" mirror-in-lid TRK-12 was RCA's first television to be sold to the public. Priced at $600.00, it was RCA's most expensive yet most popular pre-war model. The pictures were viewed indirectly by reflection in a mirror built into the cabinet lid. The length of picture tubes (Kinescopes) available at the time necessitated the mirror-in-lid design. Vertical orientation of the tube minimized the protrusion of television cabinets out from the living room wall, and the mirror lid could be closed, enabling the television and radio to be hidden when not in use. The TRK-12 shown here has special external labels and internal modifications for improved picture quality, identifying it as one of the televisions originally exhibited inside the "Hall of Television" at the 1939 New York World's Fair. See the TRK-12 in historical context