SOLD
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This item SOLD at 2026 Sep 23 @ 10:35UTC-07:00 : PDT/MST
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Preview: Sept. 19th (10am - 5pm)
Auction Streams live @ 10am Sept 22nd & 23rd.
Auction Pick Ups: Sept. 24th - 26th (10am - 5pm)
Preview and Pick up at: 27294 Fraser Hwy, Aldergrove, BC V4W 3P8
*Placing your bid is your acceptance of all Terms and Conditions, Buyers Premium, Taxes, Shipping and Payment information.
• ALL items are AS IS WHERE IS, NO EXCEPTIONS. Our Catalogues are used as a guideline ONLY! BRING ALL PACKING MATERIALS on Pickup Day
Late 19th-century wall telephone by the American Electric Telephone Co. of Kokomo, Indiana, configured as a three-box fiddleback set on a shaped wooden backboard. The brass maker plate reads "(Hunnings Patent) American Electric Telephone Co., Kokomo, Ind." The telephone incorporates twin brass bells, a side crank, conical transmitter, long-pole receiver with cloth-covered cord, automatic switchhook, and a lower writing shelf with storage compartment. Hinged wooden boxes open to reveal the magneto, coils, wiring, bell mechanism, and electrical terminals. An accompanying identification card describes the cabinet as black walnut and the receiver as a No. 101 Brown long-pole type.
ARTIST / CREATOR BIOGRAPHY
Henry Hunnings (1842-1886) was a British clergyman, photographer, musician, and inventor whose experiments helped shape the practical development of early telephone transmitters. Born in Tottenham, he first worked as a printer and photographer before studying at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He entered the clergy in 1870 and served as a curate at All Saints' Church in Bolton Percy, Yorkshire, from 1874 to 1880.
While living in Bolton Percy, Hunnings developed a transmitter using loose carbon granules behind a vibrating diaphragm. The arrangement varied electrical resistance in response to speech, producing a stronger and clearer signal than many earlier designs. He patented the invention in Britain in 1878, followed by United States patents in 1881. Local accounts relate that he prepared experimental carbon granules from crushed railway cinders.
A widely noted demonstration in 1880 carried conversation and music over telegraph lines between York and Darlington, a distance of approximately 45 miles. Hunnings later sold his patent rights to Thomas Edison following litigation over competing telephone technologies. Variations of the carbon-granule principle remained fundamental to telephone transmitters for generations, giving Hunnings a lasting place in the history of electrical communication.
Maker: American Electric Telephone Co.
Location: Kokomo, Indiana
Period: Circa 1894-1897
Form: Three-box fiddleback wall telephone
Material: Black walnut with brass and electrical components
Transmitter: Hunnings patent type
Receiver: No. 101 Brown long-pole receiver
Features: Twin bells, crank magneto, automatic switchhook, writing shelf and storage compartment
Condition: As pictured.
Auction Location:
27294 Fraser Hwy., Aldergrove, British Columbia, V4W 3P8, Canada
Previewing Details:
Preview: September 19th (10am - 5pm) in-person and video calls.
Previewing Address: 27294 Fraser Hwy, Aldergrove, BC V4W 3P8
Video calls & Facetime previews are available as well via appointment only. To book an appointment please email us at info@madpicker.com with a time between 10am-5pm PDT.
International Shipping is available through 3rd party. See shipping details.
Items must be paid in full on the day of the sale.
NOTE: ITEMS NOT PICKED UP BY September 26th WILL BECOME THE PROPERTY OF DIRECT LIQUIDATION, AND NO REFUNDS WILL BE ISSUED UNLESS ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE WITH US.
Applicable taxes GST 5% PST 7%
Please make sure to include your PST number if you have one.
Taxes:
| Tax | Rate | Desc. |
| GST |
5% |
GST |
| BPST |
7% |
BC PST |
| NFLD |
5% |
NewFoundland |
| NB |
5% |
New Brunswick |
| NS |
5% |
Nova Scotia |
| PEI |
5% |
Prince Edward Island |
| ON |
5% |
Ontario |
| AB |
5% |
Alberta |
| MB |
5% |
Manitoba |
| NWT |
5% |
Northwest Territories |
| NT |
5% |
Nunavut |
| QC |
5% |
Quebec |
| SK |
5% |
Saskatchewan |
| YK |
5% |
Yukon |
Buyer's Premiums:
| From (Incl.) | To (Excl.) | Premium |
| 0.00 |
Infinite |
18% |
Additional Fees:
Shipping Details:
Shipping is outsourced to UPS and will be picked up from the auction location September 25th - 30th
Should you have any questions or require assistance with shipping, please contact Steve or Brian at:
Phone: 604.205.5888
Email: store325@theupsstore.ca
UPS Store 325 is located at: 4111 Hastings St. Burnaby, BC
Payment Details:
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* Plus Applicable Taxes
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