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1969 722 Trimphone (GPO)

Started by FABphones, June 06, 2018, 11:49:38 AM

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FABphones

This is another of my recent finds, a two tone Ivory 722 Trimphone. An early one, dated 1969.

I've always loved Trimphones. I remember it being said that mostly 'posh' people/or those that considered themselves 'posh', had them. Having a Trimphone meant the subscriber had to pay an extra premium on their rental (the wonderful but snobby Margo in a 1970's TV programme called 'The Good Life' had one).

This version is quite hard to find as it features the alpha/numerical dial, which was only used on the very early versions of the 722, during the transition period of the initial 712 to 722.

I've tested it and it works fine, but I haven't had a chance to tidy it up yet. It needs a dial card and an Opal (which I have). I also haven't had a moment to open it up to see if it still contains its original glass tube which would formerly of held tritium gas (which made the dial glow). Although no longer giving off any glow, I do hope the glass tube is still inside (the glass tubes were later removed by the GPO/BT). 1000's of the phones themselves were also put into landfill:

"There was some concern about the luminescent dial that glowed green in the dark. This effect came from a small glass tube of tritium gas, which gave off beta radiation, which in turn energized light-producing phosphors and made the dial fluoresce. Although the radioactivity was equivalent only to that given off by a wristwatch it was felt wise to withdraw this facility as public concern over radioactivity grew".

As is usual as a 'plastic' phone ages, these phones usually show signs of fading/discolouring where the handset sits on the cradle. I think in this instance some of that may be due to where they were placed in the room. I was always told that THE place to put these premium, and very trendy, phones to 'show them off' was on a table in the front window so anyone walking past would see the phone, admire it and be impressed by the extravagance of the house owner. And if they heard it warble as they walked past – so much the better! (Trimphones don't ring, they warble).

Photos:
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
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FABphones

And here is Margo talking on her Trimphone:
'The Good Life' BBC.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
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twocvbloke

I have a dial from a Trimphone, and while the glow has now gradually gone to virtually nothing, when I first got it, it still had a visible glow (in a dark room, of course), it was fun to see before it died... :)



http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=8812.msg94803#msg94803

FABphones

Well done getting that pic. You must be one of the few people to see a Trimphone glow in the last 30+ years.

I've not actually thought to look at any of mine in the dark, so tonight the Teddy Bears will have to sleep at the bottom of the bed, I'll be tucking the Trimphones in instead.


(  ETA: I don't really have any Teddy Bears  ::)   )
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twocvbloke

Quote from: FabPhones on June 06, 2018, 12:47:18 PM
Well done getting that pic. You must be one of the few people to see a Trimphone glow in the last 30+ years.

I've not actually thought to look at any of mine in the dark, so tonight the Teddy Bears will have to sleep at the bottom of the bed, I'll be tucking the Trimphones in instead.


(  ETA: I don't really have any Teddy Bears  ::)   )

If I recall it took a lot of attempts with my old Vivitar camera to get that picture, plus a lot of post-processing to brighten up the image to show the glowing tube, but it was pretty neat to see at the time... :)

And no teddy bears? Yeah, riiiiiiiiight.......  ;D

Hotline

A great find of an early Trimphone, well done!

andy1702

All this talk of tritium reminds me of the very concerned mother who contacted me a few months ago because her daughter had been given a part in the school play, but she didn't think it would be safe because her daughter had to use a telephone in the play and she'd heard that land line phones are radioactive!!!! ;D

It wouldn't have been quite so bad, but the phone in question wasn't even a trimphone!!!!
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twocvbloke

Perhaps they need to go back to school themselves...  :o

.....

Nice Trimphone, I have a 1977 Silver Jubilee Touch Tone Trimphone. The styling is quite different, but very nice in these phones.

FABphones

That was a good find, not many of them about, even in the UK.

You probably know this already, those Silver Jubilee Trimphone versions were made for the 1977 Jubilee, for BT, but BT changed their minds and decided to run instead with the Compact phone as their official Silver Jubilee issue phone. I'm not sure how many of the Trimphone version got out onto the market, I think some were sold but when BT changed their minds production was stopped. And of course it was the Silver Jubilee so the run was only ever going to be limited anyhow. I've never even seen one, so hang on to it as you have a phone of interest to Royal Memorabilia collectors too - especially with that nice large crest on the handset.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
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Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
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