When does a phone become a "frankenphone"?

[Rokumoncat]

Hi,

I was wondering (again) when does a phone become a franken phone? I have polished out several phones that had different years worth of parts inside, i.e., the base, network, ringer etc all were different production years. Yet it was out of a home, not an e-pay purchase.

I know that WE refurbed phones, and would mix parts. So, if I have a phone with a bad transmitter, and replace said transmitter, is it now a 'frankenphone"? Just for the record, nothing that I would do to a phone is to convince anyone that the phone in question is something that it is not... just to get it working.

Thank you for the guidance!

R. Cat

[poplar1]

Hi,

I was wondering (again) when does a phone become a franken phone? I have polished out several phones that had different years worth of parts inside, i.e., the base, network, ringer etc all were different production years. Yet it was out of a home, not an e-pay purchase.

I know that WE refurbed phones, and would mix parts. So, if I have a phone with a bad transmitter, and replace said transmitter, is it now a 'frankenphone"? Just for the record, nothing that I would do to a phone is to convince anyone that the phone in question is something that it is not... just to get it working.

Thank you for the guidance!

R. Cat

If you replace a transmitter with the same part from the same manufacturer (even if the dates don't match) or one that is backwards compatible (such as a bulldog transmitter), then IMO that is not a frankenphone. Original cloth cords are hard to find---they often lasted only 10 years; so, using repro cords is acceptable to most people.

Using other repro parts, or whatever parts fit regardless of the manufacturer or date is what I would call a frankenphone.

[HarrySmith]

This is another one of those topics that can go on & on. If you search I am sure many pages will come up. In my opinon different dates do not make a frankenphone, as you stated WE did that all the time. Parts from different manufacturers, such as a WE dial on an AE phone, or different models, such as a 500 ringer in a 302, is what consitutes a frankenphone.

[Jim Stettler]

This is another one of those topics that can go on & on. If you search I am sure many pages will come up. In my opinon different dates do not make a frankenphone, as you stated WE did that all the time. Parts from different manufacturers, such as a WE dial on an AE phone, or different models, such as a 500 ringer in a 302, is what consitutes a frankenphone.

I agree with Harry.

JMO,
Jim

[Sargeguy]

It is a loose term for a phone that consists of parts that would not originally have been found together.  It can refer to a bad restoration, a refurb by an independent using different parts, or a refurb that has parts from a few different eras.  It's not necessarily pejorative either.  It is a slang expression and not a technical term, and has no specific criteria attached to it, sort of like "boat anchor".

[TelePlay]

The "definitive" frankenphone . . .

Or, name those parts (and, now I know where at least one of those 500 shells on eBay came from). It truly is a "plastic pipe parts frankened phone" somebody put a lot of effort (to what intended end I don't know) into making this creation and the only thing missing is a lightning strike to finish it off.  

Seller is quite honest in the listing saying "The phone has scratches, the plastic is like broken or something. See the pictures for references the item was custom made" and "Hello and welcome to this bid. This is some weird find indeed. This rotary phone is in unknown working condition and the plastic body looks in bad shape. I got this in an estate sale and the person who sold it he said it was working condition but I cannot verify this for myself. I never seen anything like this before. Looks like a custom made phone. The handle says ITT. See the phone pictures for cosmetic and item condition. Look like they made this phone from a rotary phone and put them in transparent pipes. Bid whatever you think this item is worth to you. The can bottle is just for size reference and its not included in the bid."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171131770763

An interesting item, indeed, that may not get even one bid at an opening bid of $40 plus $25 for shipping.

(Posted for posterity . . .)

[twocvbloke]

Looks like a Teleconcepts "Periscope" as detailed on paul-f's website:

http://www.paul-f.com/Teleconcepts.html#Periscope

So it's a purpose-made phone for an era when tacky things were popular...

[TelePlay]

Looks like a Teleconcepts "Periscope" as detailed on paul-f's website:

http://www.paul-f.com/Teleconcepts.html#Periscope

So it's a purpose-made phone for an era when tacky things were popular...

Thanks, twocvbloke! And so it does seem to not be a frankenphone. One can learn something every day on this site. Hadn't seen that corner of paul-f's site before but now stand corrected in that this is truly a vintage, rare find Model #100 Teleconcepts Periscope Phone, probably worth a lot of money with it possibly being the last one of its kind left "standing."

I wonder how many of those creations are left out there? Went through all of paul-f's photos and only recognized one other, the Model #200 Satelite, which was collected in Lamp Phone Atrocities from the forum post:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1000.msg96066#msg96066