Downton Abbey Candlestick

[Doug Rose]

Janet and I have started watching Downton Abbey and two sticks were installed in their Estate.

Is this this real deal? Did English Sticks come with a Brass receiver with a Bakelite cap?

Janet asked me if it was real and I could not honestly answer.

My guess was repro...Doug

[tubaman]

It may be original but the Ebonite coating has come away from the brass underneath.
If you see brass on the exterior of a GPO phone it's either because the original finish has worn off or been polished off. The GPO never issued anything in brass that wasn't either treated or covered in some way.

[Doug Rose]

so the receiver is correct just brassed out?

[FABphones]

Good viewing! I have the complete boxset of this series. As I recall the GPO sticks were original but 'wrong'. Being filmed many years later than their manufacture dates they had changed from as being originally issued. The screenshots are dark but as said, brassed out (a fashion in the 1970's/early 80's apparently) shows an original earpiece but wrong finish - the ebonite has been removed.

The repro styles tend to have less of a smooth curve to them, being more sharply angled.

*Image below shows two from my collection, for comparison. The earpiece to left is brassed out (unpolished), the one to right isn't quite right either, worn, and subsequently too light.

[FABphones]

Viewing on a different screen, the earpiece on your second image doesn't look quite correct, clearer and lighter images are needed to see better but it does appear from that image the endcap is wrong, which should be a No2 (notice how the sides are longer than those on my examples, which are lower and rounded).

Can you remember which episode this was?

Image two, below:
Red arrow points to correct endcap.
Purple arrow points to incorrect endcap (just one of several shown).

Many times an incorrect endcap (often from a handset 164) is used as the No2 endcaps are harder to find. Both fit.

https://www.britishtelephones.com/identify/candle1.htm
https://www.britishtelephones.com/t150.htm

Handset 164:
https://www.britishtelephones.com/gpo/pictures/t164black.jpg

[Witty]

This is an interesting topic.
I've had a GPO receiver that was put on an old WE candlestick years ago. It appears to have been enameled over the brass many years ago and seems to have been banged up some over the years also. I don't have a stick to go with it. The inside parts are in good condition.
I've seen many of these receiver caps with the notch on the bottom and always wondered why that notch was put on them.
Maybe someone here can answer that?

Thanks

(Edit) I just noticed the link you added. It seems to have the answer about the notch.
That's really interesting. I'm curious if any collectors have ever heard the howler work when the receiver was placed flat on a surface, and how loud it would have been.
Thanks!

[FABphones]

...I've seen many of these receiver caps with the notch on the bottom and always wondered why that notch was put on them.
Maybe someone here can answer that?

'Howler Groove'.
To help the exchange howler be heard loudly if the receiver was left standing on a desk rather than being put back on hook following a call. Later version endcaps were missing this howler (but retained the low curved sides).

Two more example sticks:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=24311

Image two below:
Endcap on left is correct, endcap on right is incorrect.

[Witty]

How innovative!

Just goes to show I still have much more to research and learn about old phones.
Thanks so much for the information, and especially the links.

Ken

[FABphones]

 

'The Telephone Arrives at Downton Abbey'
Family and servants react to the installation of the telephone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4slJoAftGE

Images are of the 'below stairs' telephone.

'First electricity and now the telephone. Sometimes I feel as if I were living in an HG Wells novel'.

[Witty]

'The Telephone Arrives at Downton Abbey'
Family and servants react to the installation of the telephone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4slJoAftGE

Just watched that segment, it was awesome.

Thanks...

[Doug Rose]

'The Telephone Arrives at Downton Abbey'
Family and servants react to the installation of the telephone:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4slJoAftGE

Just watched that segment, it was awesome.

Thanks...

Ken...it is a decent show. Janet talked me into the Crown and it was very good, except the actors change as the characters get older. BUT Downtown Abbey is very good as well.......we are halfway through season 2. Like the Crown, The Abbey filled with antiques and paintings.  Time well spent....Doug