My name is Arwin Schaddelee and I collect and restore antique and vintage telephones.
I primarily collect rotary dial telephones. At least, I try to limit myself to those. And then I try to stick to telephones that were in use here in the Netherlands.
Nevertheless, I do try to buy any telephones I find interesting enough.
Besides that, I have a number of sub-collections.
This gives my collection some direction and keeps me from buying any phone I can find. J I collect only those that were red originally and not repainted at a later moment. It does not matter if it is a rotary dial phone or not. As long as it is red…….
One of the very few completely Dutch telephones ever made. Dutch design,
Dutch manufacturer and a very unusual design too. Also it is the very first telephone in my collection. I try to collect every version there is.
Just a beautifull telephone and far ahead of its
time. This telephone influenced telephone designs for decades. I collect Dutch
versions of it, but also telephones that were derived or inspired by it.
Siemens & Halske Modell 27/W28
This model was the first telephone that was manufactured industrially in the
Netherlands, by Heemaf in Hengelo. Production started in 1931. I collect early
versions of this telephone, from the late 20s, early 30s.
I also collect related equipment like installation material and peripheral equipment and of course literature about telephones.
Restoring
Aside from collecting telephones I really enjoy restoring them. I try restore them back to their original state. I try to use as much original parts and techniques as possible. I do not want to make them more beautiful than they ever were. Restoring does not mean to make the telephone look as new as possible.
Sometimes I do a restoration projects for others. I also restore telephones that are surplus to my requirements and sell them on the internet.
Website
On this website I try to put the kind of information that I myself was looking for when I started collecting and restoring. There is nog much information around on the internet on Dutch telephony and what there is, is rather scanty. And a lot of sites by collectors do not give any additional information about the phones that are pictured.
I also try to share as much methods and techniques for restoring telephones as I can.
I started filling this website in 2013 and the process still continues. As I learn more myself, find more information and add telephones to my collection, I try to share this on my website.
Why the name Matilo?
I do not only have an unusual first name, but also a surname that is rare and most Dutch people have difficulty remembering it correctly. You may well imagine that for non-Dutch people it is even harder.
That is a huge disadvantage if you want to be easily recognisable on the internet. That is why I tried to find a name that is easy to remember, also for non-Dutch speakers.
I thought it would be nice to choose something that fits me and has something to do with who I am. That is why I chose Matilo.
Matilo is the name of a Roman army camp that used to be a stone’s throw away from where my house is today.
For more information on how that site looks today, here is the website of park Matilo
And here is a piece on Matilo on Wikipedia.
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