serial number 611/19368
Bush VHF81 Long, Medium and VHF waveband valve AC/DC mains operated tabletop radio housed in mahogany wood rectangular wooden case with curved top with cream knobs and push buttons black glass dial. Valve lineup: UCC85 UCH81 UF89 UABC80 UL84 UY85. UK 1964. This set uses the same circuit and chassis as the VHF80 and VHF80C produced 3 years earlier.
How much is one of these worth?
Expect to pay �20 for a working example or in excess of �50 for one
that has been properly restored
Some History
Bush rose from the ashes of Amplion who made speakers for British Gaumont cinemas and thus had links with the film industry.The radios were advertised in Gaumont cinema foyers as "A Gaumont British Product". Murphy experienced problems keeping at the forefront of technology and lost creditability with their dealers, many of which changed over to Bush. At some point Murphy became part of Bush and the company trade as Bush - Murphy in Chiswick, London. In 1945 because of their links to the film industry, Bush Murphy became part of the Rank empire and changed the name to Rank Bush Murphy (RBM). A new satellite factory was opened in Plymouth in 1949. During the mid 70's (When they were one of my major customers! I worked then for RCA Solid State having previously been with both Mullard & STC) ) they moved the entire operation to Plymouth. In 1972 the name was changed again to Rank Radio International (RRI). Following several years of mounting losses they tied up with the Japanese to become Rank Toshiba in 1978. This lasted just 3 years, and in 1981 finally folded. Toshiba became sole owner of the Plymouth factory. The Bush name now belongs (along with Alba) to an importers in Barking, E London.
Thanks to Colin Boggis for this information
How much is it worth? �10-�15.
You will note the little yellow label on the rear cover, this indicates that the radio was purchased from Barretts of Canterbury, an old established firm which is still trading http://www.barrettsdigital.tv/our_history
Have a look at this site for a very comprehensive and interesting history of Bush radios http://www.bushradio.co.uk/
