1946 Western Electric 302
See base comparisons of early models versus late models
One of the most identifiable and stereotypical phones of the modern era, this phone was introduced in 1937 and continued production into the 1950's with only a few changes. For the first few years of production the phone body was made of cast zinc. During the mid 1940s the phone was produced with a black thermoplastic body and in 1950 the phone was introduced with colored thermoplastic bodies and receivers, but only made for a couple of years. Those models are very rare. In the summer of 2005 I was fortunate enough to find an ivory model for $20 at a flea market in Midland, Michigan. This phone can be seen in the “I Love Lucy” television show as well as many other television and film productions from its era. It was the workhorse of the second World War.
The design of the Western Electric 302 won several awards for modern art. It was the first phone to have all of its components for operation inside it and was thus modular and could be easily moved from room to room. It did not require a subset like phones made previously. The set shown here is thermoplastic with a bakelite receiver. It is considerably lighter than the cast zinc model.
Photos of colored 302 and other sets: Old Phone Man’s website
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