What would be a modern telephone in your capital just before WWII?

[19and41]

This is a generic photo of the type phone.  (From OPW Thru Bing.)

[Jim Stettler]

The round based model is a B1 handset mount.
If it was the later oval based phone it would be a D1 handset mount.
There is a similar round base phone that looks like a sawed of candlestick. These are kinda scarce and worth good money.
I call it an A mount, I think the actual number has 2 A's and a 1  AA1 or A1A .
Jim

[19and41]

I'm going to have to go through my late moms Kodachrome transparencies and scan the one to show.

[Jack Ryan]

There is a similar round base phone that looks like a sawed of candlestick. These are kinda scarce and worth good money.
I call it an A mount, I think the actual number has 2 A's and a 1  AA1 or A1A .
Jim

It's an A1. I don't know where it came from but a lot of people call it an AA1 but that is a variation of a 302.

While I've got the microphone, I don't think there was ever a marked A1 - they all had D numbers. Before any could be marked A1, the B1 replaced it.

There probably were more candlesticks, B1s and D1s than 302s in the US at the beginning of WW2 but the 302 was the most modern of them.

Jack

[FABphones]

...There is a similar round base phone that looks like a sawed of candlestick. These are kinda scarce and worth good money...

This one was on eBay recently. Auction ended with final price of $710 plus shipping.

[Jack Ryan]

This one was on eBay recently. Auction ended with final price of $710 plus shipping.

Of course the red text is an embellishment.

Jack