Ericofon

Left: From an Australian Post Office brochure, 1971

This range was introduced out at about the same time as the 800 series. It was intended to complement the 800 as an extension phone but in most cases it was used as the sole phone in the house. Australians were not yet used to having a second phone , and paying extra rent for it, so they tended to stay with a single phone. This was a mistake as the rather weak internal buzzer could rarely be heard outside the room. For best results it was necessary to associate it with an extension bell (at extra cost). It was often knocked over, rendering the service “Busy”. It was also easy to push the switchhook button on the base and cut the call off. It was perhaps undeservedly unpopular and quickly disappeared from the market. Although not particularly rare, it is extremely collectable. There were something like twenty colours issued worldwide in a couple of different styles and a comprehensive collection is quite attractive. A very small production run was done in a clear plastic case for display and training. These are exceptionally rare.

Colour range: Ivory, Lacquer Red, Silver Grey, Surf Green, Mushroom Beige. Other colours were also brought in for evaluation

L M Ericssons later updated the Ericofon to a restyled, more angular model called the Cobra in some countries. This was not imported into Australia.

For more information on Ericofons and an excellent photo of the many colours, go to Richard Rose's Ericofon website.

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