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.
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.