Art Deco Western Electric 302 antique vintage telephone desk phone

Art Deco Western Electric 302 antique vintage telephone desk phone

Art Metal Art Deco Western Electric 302 antique phone telephone is a restored metal-bodied Western Electric 302 phone. This phone was also nicknamed the “Dreyfuss phone” after its creator, the great art deco designer Henry Dreyfuss and the “Lucy phone” from its many appearances on the “I Love Lucy” show.

The phone was completely disassembled and every part was cleaned and/or polished. The 5H dial was ultrasonically cleaned, lightly point-oiled and checked for proper return speed. The dial plate is the porcelain metro-style (numbers + letters) and it is in pretty good shape with just some mild wear. The card in the center of the dial is new. The cardholder ring is hand-polished brass. The metal body of the phone was refinished with a professionally applied satin black powder-coat for durability and to handle the long-term wear of everyday use. The satin black powder coat is a near exact match to the original paint and an upgrade – it’s tougher and won’t chip in the cradle area from normal usage like the original paint did.


The metal body 302 phones were most abundant between the years 1937 to 1941. This phone probably began life in 1939 although there are some “newer” parts in it. Some of the internal parts are dated thus: baseplate = 8/39, capacitor = 3rd qtr ’39, coil = 4th qtr ’41, ringer = 11/52 and 5H dial = 2/47.


The original metal base (bottom plate) is in good shape. The feet were re-covered with high quality leather. The brass ringer bells were hand-polished so that they ring clearly. The F1 Bakelite handset was buffed to a high gloss and is equipped with a new brown cloth handset cord. The matching brown cloth line cord is also new and has a modular plug so it is ready to plug ‘n play on today’s phone jacks. The phone works fine and rings loud and clear with that old-timey sound that only a dual-toned ringer can do.

If you would like to hear the ring of this phone, click here – 379 kb.

Many, many hours were spent in the restoration of this phone. It is a functioning piece of nostalgia, a great conversation piece and a real beauty. $225 reserve.


Customer satisfaction:Upon arrival, if you are unhappy with the phone for any reason or it does not meet your expectations, ship it back “as received” within 30 days and I will refund your winning bid 100%.

Warranty:I will support this phone for one year on the phone operating as it should or from parts failure due to natural causes – free parts, labor and shipping both ways for US customers, international pays return shipping. After the first year, any problems and I will still fix it for free only you cover the cost to ship it back to me. I will pay return shipping.

:See the shipping calculator for actual shipping charges for USPS Priority mail (no handling). Canadian fees will be more but will only be the actual fees to get the phone to you. Item is seller-insured and will be *well* packed. Any problems, let me know. PayPal is preferred. Thanks for looking! 🙂


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