By the early years of the 20th century, the fashion changed and the exposed construction of the Skeleton gave way to the enclosed style of phone, such as the Ericsson AC300, which was widely used in Britain. The Post Office used it as Tele No 88, with the metal side panels painted in wood grain finish. The National Telephone Company used it as their NT13. But the generic name for this type of phone, the ‘Corporation Set’ arises from the fact that the municipal corporations that entered the market in the early 1900s used this type of phone almost exclusively. However, it appears that Ericsson of Beeston declined to supply these networks, as they wished to maintain good relations with the NTC, so the corporations, such as Glasgow, had to buy from Ericsson’s Norwegian subsidiary.

My example, shown here, does not have the livery of either the PO, the NTC or the sundry corporations. Its transfers read “B [ritish] LM Ericsson Mfg Co Ltd, Beeston, Notts”, while the shows the Ericsson Trademark Logo – the Skeleton Phone. The microphone is similarly marked. The condition is poor, but completely original, so I have not attempted any restoration.