Specimen of early telegraph cables laid in Birmingham in 1856, unearthed in 1898, unknown maker, British, 1856. 12 gutta-percha covered copper wires, each wire being around 1.67mm in diameter, making it most likely a No. 16 gauge wire of the period. The gutta-percha covering makes each wire 5.6mm in diameter

This cable sample was taken from a telegraph cable laid in Birmingham in 1856 and unearthed in 1898. It consists of 12 copper wires, insulated with gutta percha, which is a rubber-like substance with good insulating properties.