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Vintage 1940 Western Electric 302 Rotary Dial Telephone F1 Receiver - Completely Restored
I purchased this phone from a retired 38 year Bell System employee that collected and restored telephones. His work is no less than phenomenal; his detail is extraordinary. Following is just part of what he included in the original description:
“This phone was made by Western Electric in January 1940. It is a very early Pre-War 1940 Western Electric 302 telephone. It is well marked with 1st quarter 1940 dates.” He further details several specific parts as manufacturer coded 1-40 including the network, metal frame, transmitter element, receiver and ringer.
The metal body phone is powder coated black and has a rich, polished shine. The 5H dial has been lightly oiled and also dates to 1940. And for sure you get that clackity clack sound when the dial turns. The in/out line and receiver cords are new with a modular jack installed. The number card holder is brass and the number card reads: Wait For Dial Tone. The dial face plate has red numbers and black letters. The four foot pads are original leather. When the phone rings the matching 41A and 41B bells produce rich, clear tones.
He made it very clear that the phone is “plug and play”, but I never had a landline to use it. I have no reason to doubt that it works just fine. One word of caution: I ran across another description that indicated this type of phone will ring in, but may not dial out, if you are using anything other than an old fashioned landline (cable limits outgoing calls).
