Marconi Type 702 Mirror-lid Television – The Oldest TV Set in Britain Expected to Sell for £5,000
Marconi Type 702 Mirror-lid Television
Britain’s oldest working television set that was produced in 1936 by Marconi has emerged for sale, and could fetch more than £5,000. It was bought for just under £100 only three weeks after transmissions in Britain began. Unfortunately for Mr Davis, his viewing was cut short when the local transmitter burned down just three days after he bought the set on November 26, and his area could not receive pictures again for ten years.
There are more 18th century Stradivarius violins in existence that pre-war TVs and this set has only had two owners.The 75-year-old set comes with a 12-inch screen and is contained in a walnut and mahogany case with the picture being reflected onto a mirror that opens from the top. Only 30 per cent of the components in this set have been replaced, all with identical parts, and it works perfectly. It has a pre-sale estimate of £5,000, but experts at Bonhams, which is selling it, expect it to sell for much more.