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GPO 162 ‘Pyramid’

Started by FABphones, September 17, 2022, 06:54:16 AM

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FABphones

This black GPO 162 arrived today.

Having handled a lot of Bakelite this is the first Bakelite to come my way which is in what I would consider to be 'factory'. The shine and smoothness of this feels 'straight out of the mold'. Very tactile.

Bottom of Bellset is marked 162 CB, so the No12 dial is a later addition which I will be swapping back to an original dial blank. The Bellset underneath is the harder to find No25.

Line cord is as new, some damage to one corner of the Bellset, with no pieces missing or broken away. An easy fix which will be placed to the rear of the phone. At the same time I will replace the later handset cord with an original braided cord.

Images show the phone straight out of the box. Beautiful shine.  :)

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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tubaman

Very nice. As you say Bellset 25s are hard to get now.
With the No 12 dial, plastic cord and later cradle it may have been refurbished and reissued.
What dates does it have on it?

FABphones

164 handset is 1934, Base of phone says 1936.

Photos attached (had to zoom in on the lettering on the base, this phone is so shiny it reflected the room so the lettering was difficult to see).

I too would guess this is a phone which has been refurbed (no stamp). From its appearance it seems to have seen little work before/since, amazing smoothness and shine. Besides those I have had in hand previously and those currently on display in the Phone Den, I have another seven 162/232 phones in the little workshop. None with a finish as good as this ( makes a nice change from the yuk we often find restoring these :-\ ).

Don't really need a second of these but as this one is unusually nice I intend to make a backboard for it. I have the Bakelite shelf for a 162 (photo attached) and the Bakelite Magneto to go with, so I'll display them together, mounting the Bellset directly to the board as they would have been originally when in service.

:)



A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************