The Advertisements series comprises tear sheets of advertisements taken from magazines and newspapers dating from 1912 to 1980. They advertise products such as radios, vacuum-tubes, batteries, phonographs, televisions, high-fidelity stereo systems, headphones, sound recordings, and other related consumer electronics.

More than 300 companies are represented in the series; approximately half of the companies have only one advertisement. The companies are primarily from the United States, although several international and multinational corporations are also represented. They include several pioneers in the radio, television, and consumer electronics industries. Other companies represented in the series include recording labels and radio or television stations. There are also advertisements from non-related industries which feature radio prominently in the image of the advertisement.

The companies with fifty or more advertisements in the series include the following: Philco Corporation (286 advertisements); Radio Corporation of America (266 advertisements); Atwater Kent Manufacturing Company (102 advertisements); Motorola, Inc. (99 advertisements); RCA-Victor Company, inc. (91 advertisements); Crosley Radio Corporation (74 advertisements); National Carbon Company, Inc. (65 advertisements); Magnavox Company (60 advertisements); Sparks-Withington Company (55 advertisements); Capehart Division of Farnsworth Television and Radio Corporation (53 advertisements); General Electric Company (53 advertisements); Stromberg-Carlson Telephone Manufacturing Company (52 advertisements); Echophone Radio Company (51 advertisements); and Sony Corporation of America (50 advertisements).

The advertisements are taken from more than 150 regional, national, and international publications. Publications particularly well-represented include The Saturday Evening Post, Life Magazine, QST, Radio News, Collier's, Fortune Magazine, Country Gentleman, Time, and Radio.