Bought For £7 5 At £6,250
The British Supply Ministry sold 5,000 electric switches to a Manchester jobber at a war-surplus sale on March 31. The switches, American made, had come from an aircraft sale. Price: £75. The buyer resold them to an electrical wholesaler, who resold them to an electrical engineer for £750. Idly opening a switch, the engineer found it held four contact plates and two bushes, made of 95 per cent pure silver. Although the switches were only five by three inches, they were worth 25/- each to a silversmith. The engineer decided to sacrifice electronics to art and sold the switches for £6250, clearing £5,500 profit. Not amused by this news was the original buyer.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BPB19481015.2.29
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Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 8, 15 October 1948, Page 5
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119Bought For £75 — At £6,250 Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 8, 15 October 1948, Page 5
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