Australian Post Office
Telephone No. 14
Common Battery, Table (W.E. Type)

The standard Western Electric candlestick Model 20 produced worldwide.  By now it had become a standard British Post Office model as well and was in production by a number of other companies.  The early version had a knurled nut at the top to lock the angle of the transmitter.  The single wire from the transmitter was exposed and entered the tube below the top.  In the later WE Model 20AL from around 1918 the top was left hollow and the wire concealed inside this.  The knurled nut was left out.  Most U.S. phones were finished in black Japan, a thick black semi-gloss paint.  British companies preferred a black baked enamel finish.

As the telephone could not house components a Bellset was required.  See picture below.

With the addition of a wooden-cased generator, usually a four-magnet Ericsson model, it could be used as a magneto telephone.

Taken from Bob's Old Phones

Diagrams
 

Last revised December 30, 2025

FM2