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Rare Bakelite coffin part of collection set to raise thousands

The coffin is part of a collection of the kitsch plastic that could be sold for as much as £8,000.

The 6ft casket is one of only five ever produced and is the largest object ever made from the world's first synthetic plastic.

It is among 24 lots from a private collection that will be sold next week. Other items include telephones, a hairdryer, Art Deco clocks and a 1949 TV set.

In its heyday in the 1930s and 1940s, the "material of a thousand uses" was widely used for everything from guitars to machine guns. But the mottled brown plastic fell out of fashion in the 1960s as home owners opted for brighter colours.

Now it is becoming increasingly collectible because of its retro appeal and rarity.

Read entire article at Telegraph (UK)