ERNIE premium bond mug
- Made:
- circa 1957
This image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Licence
License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library
License
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
ERNIE's lucky mug depicting the Premium Bond random number
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum
ERNIE's lucky mug depicting the Premium Bond random number generator, ERNIE 1, c.1957
The electronic random number indicator equipment, named ERNIE was built at the Post Office Research Station, Dollis Hill. This fantastically innovative machine was developed to randomly select Premium Bond numbers, a new scheme launched in 1956 by the post-war government to reduced inflation and encourage more people to save. The public had the chance to win life change sums through tax-free prizes in monthly prize draws. For many people it was the first ‘electronic brain’ they had ever heard of. As the machine became a personality and captured the public’s imagination, ERNIE was portrayed as a happy, jolly character who might help you to get lucky as seen in this mug.
Details
- Category:
- Computing & Data Processing
- Object Number:
- 2008-17
- Materials:
- ceramic (unspecified)
- Measurements:
-
overall: 84 mm x 120 mm x 90 mm,
- type:
- mug
- credit:
- Tilly Blyth
