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My Green British Ericsson N1002 Telephone No 332 (Mark 1)

Started by AE_Collector, January 13, 2018, 11:14:23 PM

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AE_Collector

I am starting this new topic on my Green GPO 332 or is it an N1002H20? I had posted some pictures in Monophone_Lovers "Brown Bakelite Ericsson Phone" topic but I didn't want to keep hijacking his topic.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=19596.0

I have had this for quite a few years now. I bought it on eBay from within Canada. There was quite a bit of British equipment including dials, complete phones and CO equipment used in Canada after WW2. I don't know any of this phones history.

It is in amazing condition. The only flaw I can find is a small piece chipped of the right side of the blank cover where the Cheese Tray, Phone Number Directory Tray is located on many of these phones.

Early coloured AE sets from the Bakelite Phone era such as 40's and 50's are made from plastic...thermo-plastic or tenite maybe. But these early coloured phones are either very hard plastic or some sort of material hard and brittle like Bakelite that can be coloured very brightly. Does anyone know what these are made of? I was told that the fingerwheel is made of Bakelite. It seems like it and the colour is just a bit different from the rest of the phone.

I'm not certain who makes this one, it is identified as a GPO 332 on the schematic diagram on the inside of the baseplate but it has N1002H20 on the outside of the baseplate.

These phones sure are nice and brightly coloured. Besides the black version, I've seen Ivory, Green and Red versions. Was that the extent of colours offered?

Any info appreciated!

Terry





rdelius

Dont see the GPO reference on the diagram .Look on the handset handle for GPO markings. Most likely this was an export set and not a GPO one. Expensive to find. Watch out for Indian (ITI) copies

AE_Collector

#2
Yes, you are correct about the lack of "GPO" on the wiring diagram. I think I must have been thinking that since it is called a 332 it is a GPO set and then I mis-stated that "GPO" was written on the diagram. I assumed that model 332 is a GPO specific model number.

Terry

twocvbloke

Quote from: AE_Collector on January 13, 2018, 11:14:23 PMBesides the black version, I've seen Ivory, Green and Red versions. Was that the extent of colours offered?

The official GPO versions, yes, those were the standard 4 colours offered, I think private (I.E. PAX/PBX) customers could have other colours, but I don't know which... :)

As for the model, it's an N1002, made by British Ericsson, the H20 part is a variant number, some more info here on them:

http://britishtelephones.com/ericsson/n1002.htm

:)

david@london

from the page twocvbloke linked to........

This telephone is normally produced in black, but if specially ordered it can be supplied in Chinese Red, Ivory or Jade Green.
N1002A27T was supplied in a Mottled Walnut finish.


so i was wrong again on that one.  wondering whether the A27T means an australian model.

terry,
your green phone's handset cord......original do you know? it looks quite new.
i would be tempted to fit it with a green braided cord, but your mileage may vary as they say:

http://www.vintagetelephony.co.uk/product/braided-plaited-handset-cord-chinese-red-jade-green-ivory


LarryInMichigan

That is a beautiful phone.  I am green with envy :D

Larry

Doug Rose

I was at a huge flea market years ago, I came a cross a green and a red one. I only had money for one....so I purchased the red one. I told the seller I would go to the ATM and be right back. I came right back, but the green one was gone. I always wondered if I made the correct choice.....Doug
Kidphone

AE_Collector

That Chinese Red phone is gorgeous so on that front there wasn't a bad choice to be made! 162??....232??, older than mine in any case so likely more valuable. I guess in hind site the only other thing you could have done would be to have used your cash as a deposit to hold both but hind site is 20/20. Do you recall what you paid?

One of the sites mentioned above mentioned that the colours (not feeling the need to convert spellings to US when talking about these phones!) available included Jade Green implying that Jade Green was the rarest of the four but I feel as though I've seen less in red though I haven't seen many other than black. That may habve been one certain model that was being commented on I guess.

Terry

Doug Rose

Terry....must have been at least 25 years ago, it was a once a year Big Outdoor Antique Flea. Back then you could still get the good phones for decent prices. That day I got a '37 Manual 302 in great original shape with an additional E1 for $15. Back then I knew nothing about dates in phones.  Rarely did I have more than a $100 in my pocket when I went to a Flea back then. Memory is not my best friend, but I think it was $50 or $60. ATMs were not on every corner back then. It was in such spectacular condition, I was a tad suspect. It is still a decision I think about....a lot  :-X the good old days of telephone collecting...Doug
Kidphone

AE_Collector

Quote from: twocvbloke on January 14, 2018, 03:09:03 AM
The official GPO versions, yes, those were the standard 4 colours offered, I think private (I.E. PAX/PBX) customers could have other colours, but I don't know which... :)

As for the model, it's an N1002, made by British Ericsson, the H20 part is a variant number, some more info here on them:

http://britishtelephones.com/ericsson/n1002.htm

:)

Thanks Bloke!

I figured those were the only colours though as you say, there like were other colours made for certain customers and applications. Like those maroon or deep red Muraphone wallphones someone found!

Terry

rdelius

Indian made sets came in black,ivory, darker ivory ,lt blue, lt green (almost turq),red, peach.

AE_Collector

#11
Quote from: david@london on January 14, 2018, 08:24:06 AM
from the page twocvbloke linked to........

This telephone is normally produced in black, but if specially ordered it can be supplied in Chinese Red, Ivory or Jade Green.
N1002A27T was supplied in a Mottled Walnut finish.


so i was wrong again on that one.  wondering whether the A27T means an australian model.

terry,
your green phone's handset cord......original do you know? it looks quite new.
i would be tempted to fit it with a green braided cord, but your mileage may vary as they say:

http://www.vintagetelephony.co.uk/product/braided-plaited-handset-cord-chinese-red-jade-green-ivory

Not certain what you were "wrong" about David? Your previous comments in the Brown Ericsson topic were about that phone, a very similar model to this one.

The cords on mine are like new black cloth but I have no idea if they were replaced at some point. I've done nothing to the phone (that's my story on almost all the phones I own!) for the 10-12 years I've owned it. As nice as it looks there is red compound residue from it having been buffed by someone so I'm not certain what all was done.

I'll take some pictures of the cords with spade ends and stays so you can see if they look original or reproduced. Those colour matching cords would look great on it! I'll look at that some more. I had figured I would likely sell this not being an AE Phone that I try to concentrate on. Instead I will get excited about it and make excuses to keep it.

I am somewhat confused about the entire arrangement with manufacturers and the GPO. I believe that some models likely including the 332 series were a collaboration between a manufacturer and the GPO but then they were effectively licensed to any manufacturer to produce for the GPO. And these phones had to be Parts interchangeable as well as look virtually identical?

Thus a phone like mine with Ericsson's model number N1002 could also be marked as a 332 if sold to the GPO? The ones marked N1002 would potentially be supplied to any other Telco or private system customers. Presumably mine was purchased by a Canadian Telco for some special purpose.

I'll take a picture of whatever markings are on the handset as well. My phone could also be built from Parts, does anyone who is familiar with these see matching or mismatching codes or date codes at all?

Terry

AE_Collector

#12
Quote from: rdelius on January 14, 2018, 12:27:41 PM
Indian made sets came in black,ivory, darker ivory ,lt blue, lt green (almost turq),red, peach.

I was once told all the things to watch for to ID the newer Indian made phones. But, all I can recall now was the fingerstops are different shape.

For those unaware of Indian made sets, they aren't total knockoff phones but rather a company in India bought the molds from one of the manufacturers once demand began to drop and they continued to produce their own version of the 332 including the coloured ones. The quality was just a fair bit lower making them less desirable. At least, that's the way I recall the story...please correct anything and/or add more info!

Terry

AE_Collector

I've adjusted the title of this topic now that I have a better idea what it is.

Though I am now wondering why it is a N1002 on the baseplate but it is a 332 on the schematic diagram which is on the inside of the same baseplate. If they are the exact same phone, a Model 332 for GPO and N1002 for other customers then it doesn't really matter.

Terry

twocvbloke

Quote from: AE_Collector on January 14, 2018, 01:27:31 PMThough I am now wondering why it is a N1002 on the baseplate but it is a 332 on the schematic diagram which is on the inside of the same baseplate. If they are the exact same phone, a Model 332 for GPO and N1002 for other customers then it doesn't really matter.

Terry

The GPO at the time was a government owned body, so contracts for the GPO's hardware went to manufacturers regardless of who they are, and the designs were submitted by various manufacturers, and the one that made the best design won and all the manufacturers contracted to manufacture phones had to make that particular base design, some differed to others, but overall they were "the same thing"...

Ultimately, that meant that the companies involved could sell the designs under their own names, and use the stock that is on the GPO line, so your diagram was intended to go into a GPO 332, but ended up in an Ericsson N1002 as it's the same phone, one of those "That'll do" standards the UK slipped into during the 20th century... :)