Pye M78F 1948. This classic set is one of the all-time most collectable British radios, which has it's famous story that due to the resemblance of the grille motif to the Japanese flag, as the British press released news of the treatment of prisoners of war in that country, stocks of this set were withdrawn and burnt on a bonfire at the factory.

Personally I always doubted the story, but it was confirmed a few months ago by a gentleman who was actually working at the factory during that period, and remembers the smell of burning Perspex! He did think that the reason was as much due to poor operation of the sets and consequent complaints from dealers as the story about the flag. C.O. Stanley, MD of Pye was known for his tendency to make instant and possibly capricious decisions, so this rather drastic solution to a quality control problem was apparently quite in character. My informant thought that there were only a few hundred sets issued, some were sold but many were returned faulty.

This is the even rarer green and cream version, most examples being in black and cream. We had an excellent example of this model a few months ago which sold very quickly at £850. In all I think I have had 5 of these over the years, but because they are so delicate they more often than not have some degree of damage. This one however has no visible problems at all, and is correct and original in every way. If you want one of these sets, unless you are looking for one in it's original box you won't find better. It really is a superb example- no damage or even scratches, original bottom panel, dry cell holder inside (the radio is untested)- it looks almost as new.

Unusually we are not putting a price on it, but are placing it for sale on eBay, the on-line auction.

Update: Sold for £850