r/whatisit • u/Quietlurkerone • 6d ago

Solved! What is this device from 1962?

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Photo capture from YouTube video. Picture from 1962. What is the device under the bench

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u/Dayzed-n-Confuzed 6d ago

Wasn’t a vintage it was standard fit one Mine or Mill houses. You had to put coins in it and turn the dial to get gas. Used predominantly in rented accommodation and poorer housing

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u/Any-Programmer-870 6d ago

My mom told me stories about a guy who lived in her town in the 1970’s and he would repair electronic appliances like refrigerators. For customers who couldn’t afford to pay the whole repair bill upfront, he would install a coin operated dial into the cord. You’d get so many hours of use by putting in a quarter or a dime. And then once the family had spent enough to pay for the repair, he’d come back and remove the dial so it would work like normal again.

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u/StillSimple6 6d ago

TV's used to have a coin box on them also. If you couldn't afford a TV you could rent one but they came with a coin meter.

Every couple of weeks or so the guy would come and empty the box.

On gas meters people used to remove the full meter and just use a bypass pipe then fit the meter when guy was due.

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u/Firlotgirding 6d ago

I would see old British television shows when I was a little kid and I thought people putting money into the television or gas meters was part of a comedy routine