Q: Can you tell me what type of telephone is pictured in the Price Guide on your website? It was used in the television series “Hogan’s Heroes.”

A: This style of handset phone is often called a “French phone” or “European phone” because the style was first developed in Europe–and that’s where Americans first saw this type of phone. It is also known as a “grab-a-phone.” The Bell System installed some in corporate offices here on an experimental basis beginning in 1904. French phones were first available to American consumers in 1927. You can buy new telephones in this style today.