A "distant cousin" on a German Website?

On a german website I did find a couple of years ago a "New Antwerp Telephone and Electrical Works" telephone with some similarities, but with a ATEA handset of the mid-1920s.

 I have never found this phone in an ATEA catalogue, but I am not sure if I have all catalogues.

My Dutch friend Arwin Schaddelee could help me, he had a copy of the catalogue of the German museum of communication

click on a picture to enlarge
Source: Museum für Kommunikation, Frankfurt

The cradle shows the company name "The New Antwerp Telephone and Electrical works", which was valid until the end of 1931. After that the company name became "Automatique Electrique de Belgique", to show his relation with Automatic Electric Chicago.

An Australian collector, Jack Ryan, has some doubts:

Jan, how confident are you that that is an original telephone. It doesn't tick any of the right boxes.
That basic design with the short cradle was released in the US in 1928 and at that time it was rare to find a nickel plated (or chrome plated) telephone anywhere.
That design was also specifically created for the new Bakelite handsets so it is very unusual to find an old style handset used with it - particularly one with a curved underside and a non-telescoping hookswitch plunger.
In reality I don't know but it certainly doesn't look right.

My answer to Jack:

 There are some doubts. I do not have an ATEA catalogue with this version of the telephone showed. But I am not sure I have all catalogues, especially from the 1930s. 
I understood from several sources AE released their first version of the monophone (in 4 flavours) in 1925.
The "regular" phone as originally shown by Arwin has a typical ATEA handset, patented in 1928. It could be a separate design has been made, prototyped etc for the art deco version. It has a real art deco look (I have seen art deco teapots etc with similar styling). I will try to contact that German museum to see if they have more information.

Last changed on 11/05/15 by  Jan