Model 1198 Dial Deskset

Stromberg Carlson 1198. Bakelite case. Circa 1930s. Unlike Western Electric and Northern Electric which had very close ties to the Bell Telephone operating companies, Stromberg Carlson was an independent telephone manufacturer that supplied telephones to a variety of non-Bell telephone companies. During the 1930s they introduced the 1197 and 1198 deskphones. These phones were made of bakelite, and like all phones of the era, they required a separate subset containing a ringer, and the components needed to connect to the telephone line.

The 1197 did not have a dial and an operator was therefore required to route all calls. The 1198 had a dial and was used in locations where automatic switching equipment was available.

This 1198 is in beautiful condition and has been wired with a modern network to facilitate connection to the phone line. This 1198 is in beautiful condition and has been wired with a modern network to facilitate connection to the phone line.  It comes with an external subset with a ringer.

The Restoration Process

Dial – The 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. Unless the dial is removed, this is something you will rarely ever even see, but this is how it would have come from the factory. The number plate has been cleaned and a perfectly matching overlay has been applied. 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. You can choose from either black or brown cloth cords. The line cord has a modular connection to facilitate a modern connection to your wall jack.

Shell – The shell has been painstakingly put through a multi-step restoration process which includes sanding with 400, 800, 1000, 2000 grit. This ensures that there are no scratches, dents or dings. The shell is them carefully buffed on our two step buffing wheels. This takes out the fine abrasions left by sanding and leaves the Bakelite with a smooth factory fresh finish. Finally we apply a three step restoration compound. 

Handset – Handset has been ultrasonically cleaned to get all embedded debris. It is then sanded with the same process as the shell and buffed back to its beautiful original shine.

Base – The base is completely stripped of all its components and sealed with a high gloss clear coat. The components are then cleaned, tested and reinstalled.

Do you currently have any rotary phones? If the answer is no, it is always a good idea to call your local phone company and check if they still support “pulse” dialing. If they do, you are all set to go. If they do not, your phone will not be able to place calls without a converter. We have internal converters for this type of setup available for $79.95 (installed during assembly)