Art Deco English GPO 332 Desk Dial Phone - WORKS Gr8! Start Price USD 349.99 Current Price USD 349.99 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Sunday, August 24, 2008 End Time Sunday, August 31, 2008 Location Pompano Beach, Florida See more about 'Art Deco English GPO 332 Desk Dial Phone - WORKS Gr8!' Description Antique Ericsson 332 Bakelite Telephone With Chrome Siemens Dial ORIGINAL CLOTH Handset and New Line Cord and Modular Plug. Works.   ANTIQUE RARE GEC / ERICCSON ENGLAND 332 BLACK BAKELITE TELEPHONE WITH "PEPPER POT" TRANSMITTER CAP AND DIRECTORY PULLOUT "CHEESE" TRAY. CHROME SIEMENS DIAL Original Vintage CLOTH Handset Cords and New Vinyl Modular Line Cord and Plug. WORKS! Great!   Click Photo to Enlarge   PLEASE NOTE: This is a one-up auction. In other words if this item does not sell, I will not be relisting it and will be keeping it my collection. You are bidding on an uber-classic English made Ericsson GEC Model 332 Black Bakelite Rotary Desk Dial Telephone in very good working condition. This phone dates to the 40's or 50's. This fine telephone instrument comes with an original brown 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 GEC of London under license from Ericsson for use in a private exchange. Note the dial plate is original porcelain over copper and is numbers only. This is not a metropolitan dial. 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. The General Electric Corporation in London also manufactured these telephones under license for private exchanges. There are a few special features about this phone. First, it is a 332 and not a 312, which has a cheesetray assembly in it. This is to be distinguished from a 332L (less address wallet or cheesetray). The second feature of course is the numbers-only dial. And finally the third and most prominent feature is the transmitter cap. Unlike the standard GPO/BPO 332 or Ericsson/Siemens 332's which have a horn type spitcup transmitter cap. This has a bullet-style transmitter cap. These are sometimes referred to as 9-hole convex "Petter Pot" transmitter cap. Though not unheard of it is unusual and these are rarely found on 332's unless they were exported or used in a private branch automated exchange (PBAX). You might be able to scrape a handful of these together if you scour the British Isles and Canada together. But very, very few of these transmitter caps were made. There are two other variants. One is the flat 19 hole version and then there is the more available, but still scarce 5 hole slightly convex "Pepper Pot" transmitter cap. This one is the 9 hole version. Click Photo to Enlarge I must repeat that far fewer of these coming with the bullet style stransmitter cap of any variant, were made than the standard 332L (less tray) with the spitcup horn. 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. Click Photo to Enlarge The schematic for this telephone instrument is glued onto 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 or address wallet. Click Photo to Enlarge The handset is in good condition. It is made by GEC and is similar to a type 164. The parts are undated but all indications place this into the 1940's or early 1950's. The dial plate shows virtually no loss or damage to its beautiful porcelain finish. There is some very tiny nicking around the cradle and near the dial from ordinary use. The nicking is not readily visible except upon very 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 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. 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