For convenience, we will divide these into four main groups.
1. Ericsson imports and local manufacturers using Ericsson parts. These are pre-1908.
2. Ericsson's Buffalo models.1908 - 1920
3. Kellogg / Ericsson models
4. Post-Buffalo selloff models branded by other companies
This is not strictly speaking accurate, as it will include many non-Ericsson phones, but it will act as a starting point until further research provides more information.
Pre - 1908 Phones
The phones of this period include two and three box wall phones, standard Ericsson models, and candlestick phones. Some are shown below.
L to R: Plummer wall phones in 2 and 3-box configuration
Illinois Electric two box with Ericsson top box, gooseneck and transmitter
Illinois Electric single box with Ericsson transmitter on Kellogg mount.
L to R:
Ericsson transmitter and receiver mounted on a Western Electric "Potbelly" frame. From Plummers.
Ericsson candlestick phone , imported from Europe. Note the elaborate transmitter mount.
Buffalo Models 1908 - 1920
As well as the range of Ericsson phones, they were now manufacturing some phones themselves at the new factory. In the absence of factory catalogs, these are the only phones known to have been made there.
L to R:
Model AB2100 steel cased wall phone, in separate transmitter/receiver, side handset, or cradle handset models
Position of Buffalo logo - between the bells , under the writing slope.
Model CG400 CB desk phone. The Model AC300 was a similar magneto phone, with a slightly taller case to allow for the generator.
L to R:
Model CK650, also produced as a CB phone. This was sold in the U.S., but may have been assembled from imported parts.
Ericsson equivalent of Kellogg's GrabAPhone. The phone appears to have been a collaboration between Ericssons and Kellogg, and production numbers by Ericsson would have been small. It is also known from Federal Telephone.
Ericsson candlestick using Stromberg Carlson-style top mounting. The switchhook has an "E" in the cutouts on the ends. Whether this was standard practice is unknown , but it has been seen onother models.
3. Kellogg / Ericsson Models
These are the Kellogg phones that used identifiable Ericsson parts. The best known is the GrabAPhone, which introduced the handset to the wider American public. Since handset phones were usually only seen by travellers on the European continent, they became known as "French" phones. Kellogg's first model used an Ericsson candlestick base with an Ericsson cradle and unmarked handset. As the model evolved, Kellogg parts were introduced. The first changes were to the handset, where the transmitter and receiver were changed to less ornate but more solid-looking Kellogg equivalents. The cradle changed as well, and the final models had a pressed steel cradle and base. For a time the steel shaft was covered with a bakelite sleeve (called "Kellite" by Kellogg) but this eventually gave way to black japan paint over the steel.
4. Post-selloff phones from other companies
The model AB2100 steel wall phones were manufactured by Federal from the Ericsson dies for some years after the factory closed. They sold the phones to the New Zealand Post Office as well as to local users. The phone was largely unchanged except for the name on the logo.
Federal also sold the GrabAPhone under their name, but generally used blackened metalwork instead of nickel plate.
They also sold quantities of the AC300 magneto set made from the original dies. The logo on the side panels was changed from Ericsson's skeletal phone to the AC300 itself. The phone was also sold to South American companies and possibly to Canada.
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L to R
Gooseneck transmitter and coil;
Ericsson U.S logo;
Standard Of The World logo.
U.S. Ericsson Introduction