What type of television can you buy with $8,157? Obviously, not a cheap one.
To be sure, for $8,157 you can get a top-of-the-range high definition television with 3D, surround sound, numerous channels and multiple options for connectivity.
Nevertheless, $8,157 (or £5,000) is the starting price for the sale of the oldest working television in Britain.
Of course, being a rare collector’s item, such a high price is not entirely surprising.
In fact, Bonhams, the firm coordinating the sale, expects the television – being a rarity – to sell for much more.
This particular television set was manufactured in 1936 by Marconi. A Mr. GB Davis bought the set for £100 just 3 weeks after television transmission started.
But there is an interesting twist to the purchase – as Davis must only have managed to watch the television for a couple of hours in total.
This is because the Crystal Palace television transmitter went up in flames just 3 days after he bought the set. It was not until 1946, towards the end of the war, that television sets in the area could receive transmissions again.
When Mr Davis first bought this television 75 years ago, owning a television was a privilege reserved only for the affluent.
In those early days of UK television, there was only one hour of television per day on a single channel – and all programming was live.
The television is a type-702 Marconi consisting of a 12-inch display. The set is contained in a wooden case made from mahogany and walnut.
To operate it, the wooden case is opened to show a mirror fixed to the inner side of the lid. The television image is projected to this mirror.
This particular set has been maintained remarkably well with only 30 percent of its original components having been replaced so far.
So, who’s bidding?!
[Via The Telegraph]
