If you want to stick to germanium, I can see your dilemma, the 2N2147 does have a high range hfe, and a high-ish collector voltage rating, so ideally you would use a replacement that was at least similar. One possibility is the 2N1906, hfe min75, these appear cheaper than the 2N2147:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/2N1906-TRAN...YAAOSwCGVX2Vhr
but it might be a pest for you to have to get them from the USA.
An AD142 and AD143 also comes in high hfe variants, grade 5 & 6, but these may be harder to get. Check out the stock at Halbleiter:
https://www.sh-halbleiter.de