Bidspirit auction | An Early 20th Century W-26

An Early 20th Century W-26 No 1 Candlestick Telephone - An early 20th century candlestick-style telephone constructed from metal with a black painted finish. The instrument features a cylindrical pedestal mounted on a flared circular base, supporting a solid-back transmitter with a circular metal surround. A separate handheld receiver, fashioned from a dark brown composite material, rests upon a metal hook switch at the side of the column. The receiver is connected to the base by a brown braided textile-covered cord. The metal housing at the rear of the transmitter is stamped with the inscription W - 26 . NO 1 and the number 4001. A small metal push-button is fitted to the circular base. The underside of the base is painted black and bears the hand-painted characters 37/1 in white. No other maker's marks, signatures, or labels are visible on the item.