Welcome to Soniarus Vintage Telephones

From my workshop in the Welsh mountains I repair, restore and convert many different types of  vintage/antique telephones to complement the period feel of your home.

From the iconic 100 & 200 series candlestick and pyramid style of the 1920s and 30s, through the austere 300 series of the 1940s and 50s, to the classic 700 series of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, there’s bound to be be an old phone to suit you and your home.

Each old GPO phone is carefully dismantled and all parts cleaned and, where necessary, repaired or replaced with either a good quality original or a modern reproduction. I always replace the braided cloth cords on the 100, 200 and 300 series telephones with new, high quality, hand-made braided cords as the originals are prone to shorting out, or failing altogether. I also provide a line cord in the same material on the black Bakelite telephones.

Could you contact me  first with any questions and to check that the telephone you want is still available. I can also supply more photos of the chosen phone if required. The majority of published photos are of the actual phone for sale but due to time limitations and turnaround of popular colours some may have slight variations(new finger plates/surrounds/backs), especially the two tone ones.

Each telephone carries a lifetime parts and labour guarantee but return postage is not included after the first year. If you drop the telephone or the dog chews the receiver then I will do my best to repair it for you but plastic and Bakelite are not very forgiving! Having said that, I can repair a lot of cracks and chips, which, although not invisible up close, will be stable and unoticeable at a distance. Just send a photo of the damage for a quote.

I accept payment by PayPal and credit/debit card (via the secure PayPal website) If you would rather pay by cheque or bank transfer just let me know and I will send you my details.

As all the telephones for sale here are old, some well over 50 years, a certain amount of wear and tear is to be expected. None of the telephones will have cracks, splits or deep scratches unless mentioned in the description (and reflected in the price), but there may be slight surface scratches, consistent with their age and use.

I usually replace the original carbon granule microphones for a modern electronic microphone (GPO 21A or equivalent) for improved speech quality and volume. These modern electronic ones were developed in the early 1980s and put in the 700 series telephones from then on. They are much more reliable than the original carbon granule type which can go crackly after a while and will eventually fail altogether. If you want to keep the 200 or 300 series authentic and would prefer an original transmitter I will be happy to oblige. 

When you buy a telephone from me I will include a reproduction label printed with your Town/Exchange and number. There are three of these to choose from to suit the age of the phone.

The 1st would suit a 2oo series or a candlestick, the 2nd a 300 series and an early 706 and the 3rd a 700 series but the choice is yours, just state LABEL 1, 2 or 3 with your town or exchange and number when ordering.

Dial labels                                                          

It is probably advisable that you keep a modern phone as the * or # keys are not available on old telephones.

Converted telephones will work on BT and most other lines, TalkTalk can be a problem on some exchanges, if in doubt please check with your  provider and ask them if they support pulse dial telephones. The phones will ring and can be answered on all networks in the U.K. but will not dial out on tone only lines.

If you live outside the U.K. please note that the prices quoted for postage are for inside the UK  and customs duty may be payable in places outside the EU, which is your responsibility. Other conversion work will also be required for them to work on other country’s telephone systems, so please contact me first for a quote.