History

In the 1920s, developments in anti-sidetone circuitry and non-positional transmitters, which worked in any orientation, permitted Western Electric to develop a handset model free of these problems. The resulting E1 handset was ready for production in 1927. This handset was paired with a base that was essentially a candlestick with a shortened neck of approximately one inch in height, topped with a new cradle for the handset. The cradle incorporated the hookswitch as a vertical plunger actuating the electrical switch contacts. This initial design was released in limited supply as Western Electric's first handset subscriber telephone, the model A1

The Restoration Process

Dial – The No 2 dial has been fully disassembled, cleaned, lubed and timed to ensure years of trouble free service. The outer edge of the dial has been stripped and repainted with a gloss black enamel. The 132 notchless number plate has been cleaned, but shows some wear. The finger wheel has been sandblasted and powder coated with a semi-gloss black finish. A brand new die cut dial card and acetate cover have been added as well

Cords – The phone has been outfitted with brand new cloth covered cords that are made in house on the same type of equipment originally used by the phone companies. They look amazing. The line cord has a modular connection to facilitate a modern connection to your wall jack.

Shell – The shell has been stripped down and sandblasted using a glass grit and powder coated in a semi-gloss black finish. This closely resembles the finish on the original A1.

Handset – The E1 handset has been ultrasonically cleaned to get all embedded debris out. It is then sanded through a multi-step restoration process which includes sanding with 400, 800, 1000, 2000 grit and buffed back to its beautiful original shine.

Subset - We have included a 634 subset (not pictured) with this telephone that features a modern network and original ringer.

Base – The base is carefully sand blasted and rewrapped with super soft pig skin suede leather to ensure it does not damage the table it proudly sits on.

The phone goes extensive testing before to ensure it is in perfect working condition prior to shipping.

Collection: Western Electric A1

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Western Electric A1 - Black

Western Electric A1 - Black