Lot 182: A Pair of G.E.C. K1620 Battery Call Telephones in Original Boxes
A pair of early 20th-century battery call telephones manufactured by the General Electric Company (GEC) of England. Each unit consists of a polished dark wood rectangular cabinet, likely mahogany or walnut, featuring a top-mounted black metal trumpet-style mouthpiece and receiver horn. The units retain their external fabric-covered wiring in green and reddish-brown. Both telephones are housed in their original cardboard manufacturer’s packaging. The pasted paper labels on the boxes feature the stylized G.E.C. script logo and are printed with EVERYTHING ELECT. and BATTERY CALL TELEPHONE. The labels further specify Catalogue No. K 1620 and MADE IN ENGLAND. These units were designed for point-to-point communication or as part of a central switchboard system.
Condition report:
The telephones appear to be in good aesthetic condition but are currently covered in heavy dust and cobwebs. The wooden cabinets exhibit minor surface wear consistent with age, and the metal mouthpieces show signs of surface oxidisation and tarnishing. The fabric-covered wiring is frayed and shows age-related degradation. The original cardboard boxes are in poor, distressed condition, being heavily torn, crushed, and repaired with tape. The internal mechanisms have not been inspected, and the telephones are sold in an untested condition.
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