What is this thing?
Could it be???
Looks like the top of a Picturephone!
The photos look a bit "stretched". A picturephone would be quite a catch, if that's what it is.
Maureen,
Yes, it looks like an original Type 1 Picturephone display unit from 1964. These are exceedingly rare: Only a few were made, and even fewer have survived. A couple of years ago, one of these in terrible condition sold on eBay for $1400.00. The one in your picture, Maureen, looks like it might be brand new. If so, this one item in your collection could easily be worth $3000 to $5000 dollars (or more, on a good day)!
Do not let yourself get snookered by any selfish people who might want to rip you off. DO NOT SELL EVERYTHING AT ONCE! TAKE YOUR TIME! EBay (or a similar public forum) is the best place to get fair and realistic prices for the wonderful things you have found.
Regards,
Dave F.
Addendum: This unit, by itself, is not a complete Picturephone system. There are other associated components, including a desktop keyboard unit, which are needed to make it work. If you are lucky, maybe you also have some of the other components.
Later (Type 2) Picturephones were rectangular in shape and saw limited service in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A working Type 2 system, with two complete sets of components, is worth about $10,000. I don't know of a single complete and working Type 1 Picturephone system anywhere. If you were to uncover all the parts for that, you would be able to eat at high-class restaurants every night for the rest of your life, and never need to cook another dinner! So, keep searching!
DF
