Australian Post Office
Telephone No. 12MT
Common Battery, Table (B.I. Type)
Telephone, Magneto, Table (B.I. Type)

An early "tin box" style magneto desk phone introduced in Britain in the early 1900s.  It was probably introduced into Australia about 1910 due to a shortage of desk phones.  It was manufactured by the General Electric Company (GEC).  It was similar in appearance to a Western Electric model, but was slightly larger.  The British version had more elaborate transfers, but the finish of the Australian models was very plain.

 It is a very heavy phone due to the large internal magneto.

Taken from Bob's Old Phones

Diagrams
 
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Last revised March 24, 2026

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