302 Collection

The Model 302 desk telephone was introduced in 1937. Created by famed industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss, the first versions had a die-cast zinc housing, however, demands for metal during WW2 necessitated a shift to thermo-plastic housings on later models. The 302 series was the first Western Electric desk telephone to contain the ringer and induction coil within the phone. Previous desk models required a separate subscriber set or bell box that was attached by the line cord. While the 302 series telephone is predominately found in black, it was also produced in nine colours. When the thermoplastic housings became the standard, the colours were molded in the plastic of that colour rather than being painted on as was the case of the die-cast phones. Over the years the metal version of this phone has often been plated with various metallic finishes such as nickel and chrome. The Model 302 was manufactured until 1954 and during it's lifetime it was the workhorse of the phone system.