Heemaf - Analogue telephone - type 1955 - Bakelite - Wall phone

Very beautiful and still working analog telephone. The phone was used in the Netherlands by the PTT (Post, Telegraph, and Telex), the former Dutch state-owned company for telephony. The phone is of the Heemaf 1955 type, and was produced in the Netherlands (Enschede) by the company Heemaf. This happened in March 1961 (see numbers at the bottom (photo)). The first of this type was produced in 1955. Production was scaled down from 1965, and the phone was replaced by the more modern T65 type.

From 1950 there were three companies that made the well-known black phones for the PTT: the Dutch branch of Ericsson in Rijen, the Dutch Standard Electric Maatschappij in The Hague, and Heemaf in Hengelo. The phones from the three companies look very similar, but are indeed different.

After World War II, the PTT faced a heavily damaged telephone network and a patchwork of various systems, exchanges and telephones on one hand, and on the other hand an increasing demand for connections and network capacity. Therefore a number of standards were introduced in sequence that the network and equipment had to comply with. These so-called norms specified electrical, acoustic, but also physical properties to improve the quality of telephone connections, logistics and efficiency.

After Norm A in 1946 and Norm B in 1948, Norm 51 followed in 1951. This would remain more or less in effect in the same form into the 1980s.

The 1955 type had a table model (with a design very inspired by the Art Deco style) and this wall-mounted model. The height of the unit is 30 cm, the width of the handset is 22 cm, and the unit itself is 13 cm wide. The weight is 2.2 kg.

This phone is still entirely made of Bakelite. A very nice feature is the small window behind which the last used phone number is still visible; a 4-digit number.

The phone still looks especially good. The bakelite has slightly greyed due to sun exposure, but the bakelite is completely undamaged, which is quite rare. Bakelite is rather brittle, and especially telephones of this age (65 years old) often have chipped edges. It is an iconic device that marries the old elements (black bakelite) with newer elements (more modern implementation). It is a typical vintage device that fits in any kind of interior and certainly serves as a decorative conversation piece.

The phone will be carefully packed and insured for shipping.