[Arran]

I got that portable I got from you, 39-72, playing ,turned out to be more of a job than I first thought it would be, All the tubes where burned out! someone must have use the wrong "A" voltage, but the original tubes where long and skinny, the replacements I had the cut down the base to get them to fit! Anyways Ive still was able to use the original tube shields and it plays great !It's surpriseing how good this little four tube sets can work

I know all about four tube battery sets, back when I started in Alberta farm battery radios were the least expensive way to get into 1930s radios. Not only have I found that many four tubers are excellent performers but I could usaully get them working with most if not all of the original capacitors left in place.
As for the tall skinny tublier battery tubes those seem to have been standard issue in most battery sets with 1.5 volt tubes from 1938 till sometime before the war, to me it looks like the same envelope that they used for many magic eye tubes. After the war they all used the shorter GT types with the metal band and later switched to the seven pin miniature types. If you keep looking you should be able to find a good set of the original style tubes, probably in a junker farm, or portable, or even one that isn't a junker but doesn't have the mechanical fit problems with the wider bases.
Regards
Arran