Sterling Telephone & Electric Co Ltd

[M0TAW Tony]

Hi all
Does anyone have anything on the above company - started c.1912 at Sterling Works in Dagenham, Romford, Essex. Bought by GEC I think c. 1930.
I have a horn loudspeaker Patent no 207898/22 , which I think indicates the year 1922. It is marked 'Dinky' !
Would like to know if they used a trademark and whether anyone recognises the model name.
Thanks
Tony

[michamoo]

Well i have a crystal set made by the same company and also have been unable to find anything about them either..

[Paul_RK]

Actually bought by Marconiphone in 1925, but they produced a wide range of sets and components until then, and were among the more prominent companies in the field. This one's a two-valver from '24. The 'Baby' was probably their most popular horn 'speaker, I think I still have one somewhere: I seem to recall the 'Dinky' is smaller still.

Paul

[John M0GLN]

Originally Posted by M0TAW Tony

I have a horn loudspeaker Patent no 207898/22 , which I think indicates the year 1922.
Tony

I have one with the same markings, but unfortunately I don't know anything about the company.

John

[Kat Manton]

Hi,

There was an "M. R. Lawrence" involved with the company, or at least the patent. I don't know if that helps much, but it's something.

Improvements in the construction of telephone receivers

Abstract of GB207898 207,898. Sterling Telephone &. Electric Co., Ltd., and Lawrence, M. R. Sept. 12, 1922.

Electromagnets. - In laminated pole-pieces for telephone-receiver magnets in which the laminations are held together by two insulating cheeks 3, the cheeks are held from being pressed apart during winding by a strip of metal 4 or by an end lamination being turned over outside the cheeks as at 5. The brass strip 4 or end lamination mav be centre punched into the laminations. The laminations may be held together at the end remote from the windings by a rivet.

Cheers, Kat

[M0TAW Tony]

Many thanks to John and Kat.
John - The trade mark is especially useful.
Kat - I tried to find that patent online but failed to find any site that had records going back that far. Is there one? It would be very useful for all those old items marked with a patent no.
Most helpful and much appreciated
Tony

[Kat Manton]

Hi Tony,

Sticking the number 'GB207898' into the UK Intellectual Property Office 'number search' facility produces some information, but it seems to be incomplete.

(But has revealed that Mr. Lawrence's full name is Maximilian Robert Lawrence, and that he and the Sterling Telephone & Electric Company Limited were 'all of 210-212, Tottenham Court Road, London W. 1.')

I suspect that for documents this old you may have to visit offices somewhere and inspect them in person.

Cheers, Kat

[Station X]

I don't know how far you want to take your research, but The National Archives, formerly The Public Record Office has lots of stuff on this company.

Including:-

Photograph of maid using telephone and looking at same." Copyright owner of work: The Sterling Telephone & Electric Co Ltd, 200 Upper Thames Street, London. Copyright author of work: William Sidney Campbell, 57 St Paul's Churchyard, London. Form Completed 22 March 1912.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/catalogue/search.asp

Search on "Sterling Telephone".

[M0TAW Tony]

Thank you Kat and Graham
The info and leads have helped 'flesh out' this long gone company
ATB
Tony