The teasmade as a British Rail Long Service Award

As most readers will recall, teasmades were commonly offered as corporate and personal gifts, wedding gifts, and game show prizes, especially in the 1970s and 1980s. Unfortunately I rarely unearth documentation to illustrate this particular feature of teasmade history.

Imagine my surprise, then, when one of my local and family history acquaintances, a fellow Find-a-Grave member, got in touch to tell me that he had just discovered a copy of a 1986 British Rail Long Service Awards brochure, which offered a Swan Deluxe 10860 teasmade as one of its corporate gifts.

The recipient had to fill in their details to select the gift they wanted. I wonder how popular the teasmade was? Here's the folder cover for the selection of gifts:

The eighteen items in the folder are very much a sign of the times.

1. This sheet is missing, presumably because this was what the person who owned the pack chose. We think it was probably a Wall Clock.
2. Anniversary Clock
3. Lantern Clock
4. Mahogany Clock
5. Teasmade
6. Portable Black and White Television
7. Barometer
8. Canteen of Cutlery
9. Alternative Canteen of Cutlery
10. Tea Set
11. Gent's Wristwatch
12. Lady's Wristwatch
13. Pocket Watch
14. Digital Clock Radio
15. Stereo Radio Cassette Player
16. Binoculars
17. Olympus Trip Camera
18. Decanter and Glasses

Here's the selection page for the Swan Deluxe teasmade:

Thank you, Mark!