Marconi BBC Marconi Type L PAT nr. 506668 M.C. 311433

Original BBC Marconi Type L Lip Ribbon Microphone in excellent original condition. A rare piece of British broadcast history, designed by the BBC Research Department and manufactured by Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company in Chelmsford, England. Produced from the late 1930s onwards, the Type L became one of the most iconic commentary microphones ever built and was widely used by the BBC for sports broadcasts, royal events and outside broadcasts.

History & significance

The BBC Marconi Type L was introduced in 1937 as a purpose-built commentary microphone. Unlike conventional studio microphones, it was specifically designed to be held directly against the commentator's lips, providing excellent speech intelligibility while minimizing crowd noise and environmental sound.

Its distinctive circular grille has become synonymous with historic BBC broadcasts, from football matches and Wimbledon to royal ceremonies and wartime reporting.

Sound & character

The Type L is a passive ribbon microphone with the smooth, natural character that made ribbon microphones the standard for professional broadcasting during the 1930s and 1940s.

Speech is reproduced with remarkable warmth and realism, while the close-working design provides excellent rejection of surrounding noise. Although originally developed for commentary, the microphone is equally appreciated today as a unique ribbon microphone for recording vocals, voice-over work and vintage-inspired productions.

Construction

The microphone features a robust all-metal construction built to BBC broadcast standards.

Manufactured by Marconi's Wireless Telegraph Company Ltd., Chelmsford, England, this example bears the original PAT. No. 506668 marking and represents an authentic early Marconi-produced version rather than one of the later STC or Coles models. This microphone has a M.C. 311433. (Marconi inventory number).

Condition & included items

• Original BBC Marconi Type L ribbon microphone
• Original Marconi manufactured version
• PAT. No. 506668
• Exactly as shown in the photographs

The microphone is in very good original cosmetic condition for its age. Please study the photographs carefully, as they form part of the description.

Shipping

The microphone will be carefully packed with particular attention paid to protecting the ribbon assembly during transport. It will be shipped fully insured.

Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions.