Here is a quite nice 317 HA (or 317-HA) variant of the iconic Western Electric Model 317 magneto wall telephone, often called the "oak crank phone" or "cathedral-style" wall phone. This was one of the most common and long-lived rural/home telephones in the Bell System during the early 20th century.

Note: this item is being offered with a well-turning crank and working bells. We have not connected it and are not offering it in a usable function. Hence, it is for display or for you to connect it yourself.

Western Electric introduced the Model 317 series in 1907 as a single-box (or compact two-box) magneto wall telephone. It replaced earlier three-box designs and remained in production for about 30 years (until the mid-to-late 1930s). These phones were designed for local-battery (magneto) service — common in areas without central battery power from the telephone exchange. Users cranked a handle to generate ringing current for outgoing calls, and the phone had its own dry-cell batteries for talking power.

The phone being offered is the common oak cabinet (although some were made of walnut) with a quartersawn grain, dovetail joints, and a rich original finish.

Originals had a hand-crank magneto (usually a 5-bar 48A type for strong ringing current; some early versions had 3-bar). We offer no provenance of the workability of this item's magneto, although the crank turns well and produces a clear bell sound.

The bells/ringers on the front are brass-plated and are loud and clear.

The oblique/angled shelf on the front was designed to be a writing shelf for note-taking.

It is complete with a transmitter (mouthpiece) and receiver (earpiece). We have sold just a single earpiece for over $100 in our store because they were Bakelite. This appears to be Bakelite but we do not confirm that attribute.

This beautiful antique piece is marked "317 HA" on the back. The "HA" suffix in 317 HA typically refers to a specific sub-variant or configuration within the 317 family. It often denotes the handset/receiver type (early HA-series elements) or a particular wiring/schematic code (e.g., related to the internal diagram marked with letters like H, A for circuit variants). Many 317 phones carry letter suffixes (e.g., 317P, 317AH, 317BS, 317N) indicating minor production changes in transmitter arm length, magneto type, receiver, or wiring. The HA variant generally aligns with the long-arm era or transitional models featuring early solid-back transmitters (like the 337) and specific receiver caps.

These phones were built tough for farmhouses, general stores, and offices — hence their durability and survival in collections today.

Certainly this solid oak cabinet phone is heavy and the dimensions are: 20" tall by 9" wide at widest edges by 9.5" deep when measured all the way through the mouthpiece. It weighs over 22 pounds but shipping will be calculated at 24 pounds due to the extra packaging required. 

The cabinet is in very good to almost excellent condition for its age. There is a vertical groove that runs all the way up the back as shown in the photos. The ear and mouth pieces both have some natural patina but appear to be in good working order. The earpiece cord appears to be original due to its composition.

If you have a specific 317 HA (e.g., with long or short transmitter arm, 5-bar magneto, or particular markings on the schematic inside the door), it’s a highly desirable piece from the golden age of magneto telephony.

These oak 317 phones are wonderful artifacts that still ring and make fabulous focal points!

Since the item is this heavy, we are offering various shipping options to help save you money. 

UPC 004090