Geni Swing Guitars

Vintage Tele

Since around the early 80's, a lot of our household technology has changed beyond recognition. First clocks went digital, then wristwatches too. Next TV's got bigger, and then a whole lot thinner, and home computing took off in a big way. But perhaps nothing has changed more than the humble telephone.

In less than a few decades, the phone has gone from an elegant piece of furniture to a miniature mobile computer, address-book, organiser, and even a TV. Of course it would be foolish to resent progress, but who can't lament the passing of such examples of refinement and beauty as the Western Electric 202, or the GPO 300 Series?

These days most people buy their mobile phones with the expectation of them lasting perhaps a few years at most. Some of the telephones most coveted by collectors have been around for almost a century - and the most ancient will originate from as long ago as the 1800's. Things were built to last back then!

Retro Styles

There's nothing that says style quite like a vintage phone. Immortalised in countless movies and classic TV shows, from Hitchcock thrillers to "I Love Lucy", a rotary phone just oozes class and sophistication.

There are several different styles of phone that are best suited for different interiors - depending on the sort of look you are aiming for:

Candlestick Phones - Style from the Jazz Age

The design of the candlestick phone dates from the very early 20th century. In the USA the first free-standing dial telephone was the model 50 AL, introduced by Western Electric in 1919. In Britain it was the GPO Tele 150, released in 1924. Both were built to a similar design - a freestanding column base - or "candlestick", with a mouthpiece on the top, and a separate earpiece attached to the base by a length of cord.

Both practical and elegant, the candlestick phone was an instant design classic. Today it lends a classy and sophisticated air to an interior. It's still possible to find genuine versions of these early telephones in good condition, whether from specialist dealers, at antique fairs, or simply from Ebay - where there is frequently a decent selection.

A very simple way of determining an original candlestick phone from a modern replica is to check the ringer. All vintage versions had separate ringers housed in a box away from the phone, modern replicas tend to incorporate the ringer into the body of the phone.

Classic Bakelite Phones

For a really classy vintage look - fitting in beautifully with dark wood furniture and leather seats - it's hard to beat the appeal of a classic black Bakelite phone. The design of these phones developed slowly over more than 20 years (back when things were really built to last), but they always featured a rotary dial on the front, and a single handset containing both the microphone and earpiece.

The most popular models on either side of the Atlantic were the Western Electric models 202 and 302 in the USA, and the GPO 200 and 300 series in Britain and British Empire. Other companies also manufactured phones in bakelite - such as Ericsson and Stromberg Carlson, and these can also be found in serviceable condition today - through eBay, or via other specialist dealers.

These telephones were built out of the early plastic material called "Bakelite", and like the Model T Ford, they were only available in black. As these phones are very old, and may have been refurbished more than once in their lifetime, collectors are advised to look for phones that are obviously in good condition - without too much damage to the bakelite in the form of chips, scratches or wear. Later phones featured many more colours and design variations that collectors find very desirable.

Chunky Plastic Phones - Retro cool

The development of thermo-moulded plastic effectively began the modern era of telephones.  However, the classic rotary design was due to get one last glorious incarnation before telephones began to assume the weird and wonderful shapes we have in the modern era.

Following the Second World War, everyone wanted a telephone, and the technology now existed to manufacture them.  Advances in both plastics and systems of mass production, resulted in an explosion in phone ownership.  Both the Western Electric Model 500 and the GPO 700 series were manufactured from thermo-plastics to a very similar design.

This is the design that most people are familiar with when the term "Retro-Phone" is mentioned - a big chunky phone with a rotary dial on the front, an indestructible plastic handset, and a huge range of colours to choose from.

These phones are hugely popular with collectors for a number of reasons - it is relatively easy to convert these phones to work on modern networks, huge numbers of them remain in working order, there are plenty of variations in the individual phones, but mostly just because they come in amazing retro colours and they just look so effortlessly cool.

Due to the classic styling of these phones they can blend into almost any interior design.  It's just as possible to see a red phone sitting on the President's desk in the Oval Office (the 80's "hotline to Moscow"), as it is to see a two-tone brown and orange phone in a 1960's themed living room.  That's the beauty of great design.

Discover the best vintage, rotary and retro phones and top tips on Collecting classic telephones at our website - the best resource on the web for fans of vintage phones and retro styling.

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