I have noticed phones with a handset (like the one in the image) have a little cover that resembles something like a cold camera shoe under the bottom of the handset’s top speaker holder. Is there a use for it? It has a line bump in the middle, but it doesn’t go all the way from both sides, it leaves a gap. I have also seem some of them have extra space on the top of the cover, and some don’t.
Much better than the older design which cannot be mounted on the wall.
And the even older design that didn’t even have a bell integrated in the base. The bell was in a separate bell box.
Or one of these real old designs that didn’t even have a bell. It has a buzzer that’s barely audible (it might even just be the phone’s speaker, idk). Also, the microphone and the earpiece aren’t in a convenient handset.
This one is a replica made in probably the 1970s or 1980s. It’s funny, when it was made it was a replica of something vintage, but now it actually is vintage.
Huge props for the unexpected old phone exhibition. It was very interesting, thank you :3
You have a very interesting phone collection and I appreciate you sharing! Unlocked memories I didn’t even know I had! 😃
Dude those are really cool phones. I had forgotten how much I miss rotaries.
Well, cannot be wall-mounted like the one in your picture but those phones did get wall-mounted in slightly different shape.
Interesting. I’ve never seen a phone like that. Usually the wall mounted versions of the Model 500 had a hook for the handset in the front of the base to hang the handset vertically. This one looks like a different company than Western Electric though. I’m guessing it’s a UK company, because it’s 999 for emergencies (or at least it’s not US). You’ve got me curious enough I feel like I’m about to go down a rabbit hole.
Edit: yep, it’s a UK company called GPO. This is their model 741:
https://gpospares.co.uk/gpo-spares-gpo-bt-741-wall-dial-telephone-two-tone-grey.html
Not just a U.K. company, the GPO were the General Post Office and ran the entire phone network and more: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Post_Office
We had a yellow one like that hanging on our kitchen wall in Ohio, so they were definitely around.
Oh, I was not aware you are into this as a collector, now I feel honored to be able to show you something new!
I live in Europe, not the UK though, so maybe that explains why these are familiar to me. Although another user said they saw one in Ohio.