Art Deco English GPO 312 Desk Dial Phone - WORKS Gr8! Start Price USD 224.99 Current Price USD 229.99 Time Left - Bid Count 1 Buy It Now Price USD 229.99 Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, August 17, 2008 End Time Saturday, August 23, 2008 Location Pompano Beach, Florida See more about 'Art Deco English GPO 312 Desk Dial Phone - WORKS Gr8!' Description Antique Ericsson 326 Bakelite Telephone With Chrome Siemens Dial ORIGINAL CLOTH Handset and Line Cords and Modular Adapter. Works.   ANTIQUE RARE GPO / ERICCSON ENGLAND 312 BAKELITE TELEPHONE WITH DIRECTORY PULLOUT "CHEESE" TRAY. CHROME SIEMENS DIAL New Old Stock Vintage CLOTH Handset Cords and New Vinyl Modular Line Cord and Plug. WORKS! Great!   Click Photo to Enlarge   You are bidding on an uber-classic English made Ericsson GPO Model 312 Bakelite Rotary Desk Dial Telephone in very good working condition. This phone dates to 1948. This fine telephone instrument comes with a new old stock vintage, black cloth covered handset cord and new vinyl modular line cord. It rings (((((LOUDLY)))) and it works and is ready to be used in your home or office today! This telephone was produced in England by Ericsson for the English GPO or General Post Office which owned and licensed the telephone franchise. The phone was first designed by Jean Heiberg for Ericsson in 1931 (though some accounts say between 1930 and 1932) and went into production as the Ericsson Type 31 in Sweden. Siemens began producing it in England under license in 1932 for private use, though it became a staple of the BPO/GPO in 1937 for public use, replacing the BPO 232 Pyramid phone. There are a few special features about this phone which I will quote from the Ericsson literature on the 312 (courtesy of British Telephones dot com): "The "Telephone No. 312" is a combined set (one-piece), see A 1010, and is similar in appearance to "Telephone No. 330....."; it is fitted with one key-plunger and two external screws for securing a "Label No. 252Q, Black". It is available as "Telephone No. 312F" and "Telephone No. 312L" in Black and the standard colours Chinese Red, Ivory, and Jade Green. The circuit for "Telephone No. 312" is shown in Dgm. N 412. The chief points of interest are as follows:- (a) The provision of a "Key No. 302B" and a "Rectifier-element No. 1/12A" to extend an earth over one line wire to establish calling conditions and to obtain meter discrimination. The rectifier prevents the earth being extended over the other wire and also maintains the holding loop during the release of the key. (b) The inclusion of a thermistor in series with the bell to prevent bell-tinkling. A thermistor is a non-linear resistor with a high negative temperature coefficient; this particular thermistor is enclosed in a small glass tube and has a nominal resistance of 200,000 ohms when no current is flowing. The resistance decreases as the current rises and is less than 500 ohms when there is a steady current of 14 ma. The duration's of surge voltages from dialling or other signalling conditions are too short to lower the resistance of the thermistor sufficiently to permit enough current to pass to tinkle the ball. During ringing, the voltage is applied long enough to change the temperature of the thermistor; the current under this condition rises sufficiently rapidly for the bell to ring, with only a slight initial clamping of the ringing. The last feature is the pullout or "cheesetray" address wallet. These were sometimes provided with GPO and BPO phones for customers. The phone comes with reproduction address wallet inserts copied from the internet. I must point out that far fewer of these were made than the standard 332 or 332L (less tray). Click Photo to Enlarge The interior of this phone is very clean and works quite well. Unlike so many of its comtemporaries, it has NOT been unfairly molested and then forcibly converted to work on the current "approved" proprietary English telephone system. No. This phone is in its original configuration and, despite a hankering to drive on the left hand side of the road, drink too much ale, smoke incessantly, hang out in pubs and watch too much soccer or as the Continentals (pick one or the other) say, "football" on the 'tele' (Manchester United!!!! Hoo Hoo Hoo!!!!) it is a cool-looking all around nice, Art Deco phone from across the Atlantic pond from an island one sixth the population of the United States. True, England evokes contradictory images of butlers on the one hand and spiked hair punk rockers on the other, but despite the stylistic differences this phone design endured from long before the outbreak of WWII until the 1960's. So in the American parlance of our day, "the phone aint bad lookin". Click Photo to Enlarge The schematic for this telephone instrument is literally printed over the metal on the inside of the base plate of the telephone underneath the slide out address or "cheesetray" also known as a pullout tray. Click Photo to Enlarge The handset is in good condition. It is made by Ericsson and is marked 164 48 which means it was made in 1948. The parts all date from around 1947 through 1948. The dial plate shows a little underloss behind the nylon numbering plate, however its not very noticeable. There is some very tiny nicking around the cradle and near the dial from ordinary use. The nicking is not readily visible except upon close inspection. Otherwise the bakelite is in very nice shape. The chrome fingerwheel is in very good condition, and the dial center contains real new old stock paper and a new old stock celluloid window. These dial center cards are hard to get unless you get a copy. I put an original in as I was fortunate enough to buy a half dozen or so a year ago from a seller in Australia. Click Photo to Enlarge This art deco phone is so interesting and desireable as a collector's item in the US. Its an interesting design that dates back to 1931 when its first concept drawings were thought out, and I believe went into full-tilt production in 1932 in London because HRH, the Prince of Wales loved the darn thing so much. Anyway, regardless of what the late Royal Highness liked or disliked, the phone caught on and stayed in active production for decades until the late 1950's and early 1960's or so. You might say this was the Western Electric 302 of British Empire and its commonwealth. We have our "I love Lucy" phone, this would be the "Lizzie" version. Click Photo to Enlarge The phone was made between 1947 and 1949 as the parts tell the phone story. The dial is undated, the handset is dated 1948, and the parts internally indicate 1947 or a little later. Otherwise the phone is exactly the way I got it except nice and cleaned up with the dial lubricated and functioning well. The base plate is exceptionally clean. The feet are soft and pliable and they work fine. Click Photo to Enlarge Click Photo to Enlarge Click Photo to Enlarge Click Photo to Enlarge Click Photo to Enlarge Happy bidding and thank you for checking out this unique auction. BEFORE BIDDING PLEASE READ THE "LEGAL" PRINT! (1) This (these) item(s) are sold "as is" with all faults, no refunds and no warranties of any kind whatsoever! (2) The item(s) offered for bids are the actual item(s) in the picture connected with this listing. 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