Memorabilia Trade Shop Signs

I still have my parents' 24K77 here, sat under a blanket (a set that also masqueraded as a Hitachi to get around the European ban on Japanese teletext sets). It would be nice to get it running again - I have a spare chassis culled from another K-series set.

Another addition to my Trade Shop memorabilia collection for the museum.

For quite a while now, I've been looking for ab illuminated clock sign. About 10-years ago, I just missed out on a Mullard clock sign. That was in the shape of a CRT with the clock in the centre of the screen.

Last week this one popped up on eBay and I made the vendor an offer he was unlikely to refuse. I was very nervous about it surviving the trip via a courier, but I'm pleased to say the vendor took great care, and it arrived today intact.

The tray at the top would have contained the original lamp, which at some point in the past has been removed. The sign below slots up into the tray, secure by two nuts, the light would then illuminate the glass via edge filtration. I think this would look rather nice and will set about returning this feature by fitting a light source.

The clock would originally have been an electric movement, this has long since been replaced by a battery unit. This movement is not as bad as it might seem, having a nice sweep second rather than stepped.

Overall, it's in quite remarkable condition considering its age, I imagine it dates from late 50s early 60s.

I've yet to decide where it will be situated, quite possibly it will be above my workbench. Rather than a whole raft of images, of all angles, considering the recent developments, here are just a couple.

@crustytv 

That reminds me of our Ekco/Ferranti dealership and the BBC clock.

A little research, the sign is likely from the early 1950s. As you rightly pointed out, Frank, the sign has the BBC clock.

https://cleanfeed.thetvroom.com/3528/features/the-history-of-the-bbc-trade-test-transmission-part-1-4/#jp-carousel-4618

There used to be one of those hanging above the entrance into Gerry Wells' workshop years ago. I seem to recall the original electric movement was very temperamental.

A warm LED light strip added to the Ferranti light box, this filters down through the glass edge to illuminate the sign.

As my museum is my attempt at a period 70s shop recreation, I've now managed to obtain some sales plaques to add that little extra authenticity. Just need to figure out all the correct period pricing.

Now you know why I've been adding all the original prices to my repair blogs, as and when I find out. The box contained aluminium holders, numerals for pricing, inlay cards for description and glass insert for protection.

Another couple of trade sign memorabilia added to the museum, one I recently found on eBay (sid), another (Gloria) was kindly donated by a new VRAT member @rumbelows1. This time the company is Rumbelows, Sid offering a free SodaStream when you rent a new remote colour TV, and Gloria offering finance terms.

Ahhh .. .. the nostalgia 😎 

The hunt still continues for others like D|E|R Radio Rentals & Multi Broadcast.

Ah Rumbelows, I worked at a firm in Bolton in the early 1960’s, named Bulloughs after the owners, shops in many Lancashire towns. They were taken over by I think it was Thorn and joined  Rumbelows group of shops.

It could be Rumbelows took Bulloughs over and then were consumed by Thorn, not sure.

@crustytv I remember those characters on TV adverts in the early 1980s.  When did Rumbelows stop offering rentals? I heard they had their accounts moved to one of the other companies owned by Thorn so they could concentrate on retail sales.

@richardfrommarple The episode of Bottom "Culture" is centred around the man from Rumbelows taking the telly away due to lack of payment for the rental. Considering this was made in the 90s the TV prop looks more like a Decca Bradford!

I remember in the 90s Rumbelows definitely still did rentals. During their "Don't pay any more Mrs Moore" ad campaign there was an alternative "Try rental Mrs Trental" or something like that.

@wayned 

I remember the "Don't pay any more Mrs Moore" campaign, but the chain folded not much longer.

Many thanks to Paul, vrat member @rumbelow1 for his very kind donation to the crustyTV museum.

A wonderful rumbelow van sign, joins the Telefusion and Rediffusion ones I already have in the museum and shown earlier in this thread.

Sid and Gloria reunited 😉, now I just need to decide where I shall finally place it, for now here is a temp photo of the sign. Glorious!

In sept 2020 during the pandemic, I embarked on my project, namely building a museum come workshop to house my TV/VCR collection and to celebrate the UK TV trade. By February 2021, the collection was moved in, this thread started to document as much trade shop memorabilia as I could find to fit it out.

I managed to buy a fair few shop/van signs Telefusion, Grundig, Granada, 2 x Thorn Ferguson, and of course a Kind donation from Malc (Rediffusion) and Paul (Rumbelows sign above).

Roll on four years later, the collection has evolved, many sets have moved on, but equally many have joined and a vast number of VCRs too. Today I received yet another kind donation to the museum from @the_teleman A wonderful external shop sign for a PYE dealership, well it would be wouldn't it, after all he is the PYE man!

It will need some cleaning and a little attention, but nothing drastic. I'm over the moon with this, especially as the PYE/Philips side of the collection has indeed grown (I wonder why). Here it is in all its glory, backlit by my bench lamp to give an idea of how it might eventually look.

The date is believed to be around the era of the sets I've been collecting, late 70s early 80s.

That's a nice sign. I have two illuminated exterior Bush signs - one pre-war, one post-war.

Cleaned and rewired.

You know what really grates on me.....

I have an over bench light in the store room, it uses fluorescent lamps, two new lamps installed this year, both failed inside twelve months of purchase. How did I know the battered tube in this PYE sign would start up first time. Same old story, nothing produced now lasts! Same as those poxy LED bulbs, 30,000hours... PAH! Yet I have three incandescents in the bedroom, not changed since I moved in 12-years ago this November, and god knows how long they were here before me. Just saying. 🙄 

Posted by: @crustytv

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I have an over bench light in the store room, it uses fluorescent lamps, two new lamps installed this year, both failed inside twelve months of purchase. How did I know the battered tube in this PYE sign would start up first time. Same old story, nothing produced now lasts! Same as those poxy LED bulbs, 30,000hours... PAH!

The only issue you might have with that fluorescent tube in the Pye sign - should it fail - is finding a replacement as tubes that diameter aren't made any more and I understand that fluorescent tube manufacture is now being wound down too. Mother-in-law had an early fluorescent in her kitchen that used those tubes and modern ones simply wouldn't strike in it. Pye625, late of this manor, gave me a couple of the correct type but in the end m-i-l ended up with a LED batten - and they are really cheap and nasty things.

Apropos of LEDs: I too have had trouble with them failing, even supposed good quality ones but it has been suggested that if they're in fittings with poor ventilation around the base cap (where the electronics live) their lives are drastically shortened. My failures have always been candle-type bulbs in electroliers and a standard lamp: the ones in traditional lampshades and also, GU10s seem to last forever. As a result, I have returned to filament lamps in the electrolier in the lounge.