Manhattan Electrical Supply Rope Shaft Desk Set

Manhattan Electrical SupplyManhattan Electrical Supply1891–1920Manhattan Electrical Supply Company, known as MESCO, was one of the largest electrical supply dealers in the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Operating from 17 Park Place in New York City with factories in Jersey City, the company manufactured and distributed a broad line of electrical equipment including telephones, telegraph instruments, batteries, and signaling devices. MESCO produced potbelly and rope shaft candlestick telephones during the competitive independent telephone era of the 1890s-1910s. Their extensive illustrated catalogs are preserved at the Smithsonian and Library of Congress. · Circa: 1898
Categories: rope-shaft, candlestick, American  ·  Contributor/source: Pete D'Acosta (website)
Manhattan Electrical Supply Rope Shaft Desk Set

About This Phone

This is one of the earliest Manhattan upright telephones. It is a beautiful, thin rope shaft with a watch case receiver. The transmitter is unmarked but it is one of the earliest Manhattan models. Square cast base was used on several later versions of this upright telephone but this early model is a very special and very rare candlestick. The scan is from an original ad in the November 21, 1899 issue of Electrical World & Engineer magazine.