English: A license for a radio receiver granted by the British Post Office on November 3, 1922. Broadcasting in Britain began on October 18, 1922 provided by a monopoly consortium of private radio companies called the British Broadcasting Company under the direction of the Post Office. The cost was borne not, as in the US by on-air commercial advertisements, but by an annual license on radio receivers, shown here, which cost 10 shillings. This one was purchased as an example by the Wireless World and Radio Review, a British radio magazine. The license was published in US magazines to the interest of US radio listeners, who had never had to license receivers. Only receivers with a BBC stamp were legal to sell in Britain. Licensing continued after broadcasting was nationalized in 1926 under the British Broadcasting Corporation. The words BROADCAST LICENSE at top are misleading, the license only allowed reception, as indicated by the wording lower down, not transmission.

Caption:It costs ten shillings, or about $2.35, and it's just a license to use a receiving set for a year in England, with strict rules and regulations to be observed. Part of the fee goes to support the broadcasting that the licensee hears.