Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
What’s it worth?
Q My family have owned a Bush DAC radio for over 75 years. It works well. Can you give us
a value? Alex Saunders, Roath, South Wales A The Bush DAC 90 has stood the test of time and remains a design classic. It first appeared at the Britain Can Make It exhibition in July 1946, towards the end of the golden era of radio design. It originally cost £11 and 11 shillings and came in three colours – walnut brown, black and cream. Walnut sets tend to be the most common and usually fetch £60 to £90. Cream versions should net £90 to £110, while the black cabinets make a bit more – £100 to £150.
Q I bought a red telephone at a junk shop 10 years ago. It is banana-shaped and has the round dial on the underside. It’s in fantastic condition, though the connecting cables are old and won’t work in today’s phone sockets. Is it
valuable? Mike Bond, via email
A Your Erico-fon telephone should ring up a profit, but not a massive one. Worth £100 to £150, it was produced by Ericsson of Sweden. It is commonly mistaken as a device from the 1960s – partly due to its appearance on cult show The Prisoner. But it was designed by Blomberg, Thames and Lysell way back in 1949 and was the world’s first all-in-one set – coming in a variety of shades. It was only imported into the UK in the 1980s.
Q I have a ceramic figurine of Rupert Bear and Algy Pug carting down a slope. It says it’s made by Beswick. What’s it worth?
Margaret Lewis, Hampstead, North London
A Beswick started out in 1894, but it wasn’t until the release of the popular Beatrix Potter characters in the late 1940s that the company became widely known. Rupert goes right back to 1921 and your figurine was a limited edition of only 2,500 made worldwide. They were modelled by Martyn Alcock and look great on bookends. In the best condition it can make between £80 and £150. Not quite a Potter gold, but not a bad sum.