Retro Telephones with a Modern Twist

Iconic Retro telephones from the 1960′s and 1970′s such as the British TRIMphone “Tone Ringer Illuminated Model” have started to make a comeback. You can now buy modern replica versions of these telephones, updated with all the new facilities such as last number redial and the # and * keys.

Classic British Trimphone Telephone replica

Classic 200 series Bakelite Telephones

Classic British Bakelite Telephone. These antique telephones were the first Bakelite Telephones to be used in the UK. These vintage telephones were made of Bakelite and had a separate “Bell Set” that contained the bell. However this “Bell Set” could be mounted underneath the telephone as shown below and the telephone was then called a “combined set”. These Bakelite telephones are now regarded as iconic art deco phones in the UK.

Classic 1940′s British Bakelite Telephone

These 200 series telephones were predominantly made in the 1940’s, however they were produced for the GPO between 1929 and 1957. These vintage telephones were produced in the standard black, rare ivory, very rare red and extremely rare jade green.

Bakelite 332 Telephones

The most popular British Bakelite telephones are known as the 300 series telephones.  They were the first British bakelite phones to contain an internal bell. This superb telephone with its classic hard lines is very sought after. The standard 300 series telephone was known as the 332.

British 1950's 332 Telphone

 

The rarest colour for an antique 332 telephone is Green as in the one above.

Clear 746 Retro Telephone

The model 746 Telephone was first introduced into service in the UK in 1967. This was an improved version of the previous 706 model. The 746 case had an integral handle which removes the need for a separate handle (as used on the 706’s). The case styling was slightly different from the 706 although it retained the same overall look and feel. The same colour options were available that had become popular with the 706 range. The 746 was later produced with the new style plug type lead (PST and renumbered as was known as the 8746) this was also converted to high impedance bells to work reliably on the new system of wiring.

Retro 706 Phone

The classic British Retro Telephone is the 706 (made in the 1960′s).

These classic 1960′s 706 telephones were the first telephones in the UK to be offered in a range of standard colours, such as ivory, red, green, concord blue, topaz yellow as well as black. Before this the standard colour for a British telephone was black, and although ivory, red and green were made they were very rare, less than 1:10,000 of all the bakelite telephones in use in the UK.