Newbie here .... making a lot of dumb errors.
I have been piecing together a AE40 (not on purpose).
I "thought" I was getting a deal ... $19 plus shipping
Decent shape, complete, no cracks or chips.... needs a good clean-up ... thought it just needed a cord (which I have not gotten yet) and a bottom gasket.
Found a repro gasket, $13
When I got it I found it had a frequency ringer ... So $24 for a straight line ringer ($12 ringer + $12 shipping).
Oh, then when the ringer came in, it was missing the spring ... $5 more.
I still need both cords ... I guess the "old phone works" will be best (unless anyone has any other ideas) .... rerpo cloth cords .... $25 plus shipping
Now, the dial!
It works but from what I am told (man I have a lot to learn about phones) it is way to new.
I am told, this phone dates from the 3rd or 4th quarter of 1943.
The dial has an 872A on it ... meaning it is from the late 60's ???
What is the correct dial for a my phone?
Does anyone have a list of dials and a timeline when they were used in this phone?
Does anyone know where I can get the "correct" dial for this phone (for a reasonable price)?
I have attached pictures of the phone.
Thanks ... Mike
The dial you have is the correct type even if it's a later date. The thing I would look for is the center of the dial, the numbercard holder. These phones were in service a long time and many have replacement parts when the old ones wore out. Unless you are a super perfectionist, I wouldn't tear my hair out over the dial. Clean it up,you have a nice looking Bakelite phone there that will last a long time. Just my $.02
There is a sticky post with a lot about the AE dials and a timeline. Somewhere in is a hart that shows what dial is used in what phone. There were several dials for the model 40.
Where did you find the gasket?
Quote from: HowardPgh on March 06, 2019, 10:04:06 PM
The dial you have is the correct type even if it's a later date. The thing I would look for is the center of the dial, the numbercard holder. These phones were in service a long time and many have replacement parts when the old ones wore out. Unless you are a super perfectionist, I wouldn't tear my hair out over the dial. Clean it up; you have a nice looking Bakelite phone there that will last a long time. Just my $.02
I agree with Howard, having a couple of these AE40s myself. Also, the photo showing the bottom of the phone looks like it has scrawled on it with a grease pencil a date of June 11, 1965. This could very likely be a refurbishment date written on it by the phone company technician who did the refurbishing to put it back in service. At that time it may very well have received the newer dial.
It would not be unusual, in my opinion, for a phone of this vintage to still be refurbed and put back in service during the mid-1960's, especially in very rural areas by an independent, small-town telephone company. Automatic Electric was owned by General Telephone (later GTE), but they did supply phones to the few remaining independent telcos. New phones cost money, the costs of which they would have had to pass along to the subscribers; so it would have been less expensive all the way around to just upgrade the existing equipment and pass it back to the customers. The frequency ringer is evidence it was used on a party line, which in the 1960's was still commonplace in rural areas and smaller towns (my hometown still had party lines well into the 1970's).
Thanks!
As I said, I an new to all this and am just chalking off these first few phones as a learning experience.
I kind of did the same thing with a Leich convertible ....
Found one cheap on the web ... $15 plus shipping ... a 705
Guy put no packing around it, came in cracked in two.
Got my money back but what do you do with a phone and a broken shell.
I posted and a member offered to send me a shell for free .. just pay $20 shipping.
Great ... got the shell ... not a 705 but a 605 (older Bakelite).
So I still need a 705 shell ....
I found what looked like a 605 on ebay ... $15 plus shipping with a damaged shell.
Got it ... my shell fits but the phone is junk! Obviously made of parts. New dial ... plastic parts ... new plastic covered, soldered wires.
So I still need parts for this one also!
As I said, newbie ... making all kinds of mistakes!
I guess on the high side, I have learned to free up old dials ... how to replace ringers (and what a frequency ringer even is), how to clean up Bakelite and plastic, ... and how to get these old phones working on a VoIP.
Thanks ... Mike
Don't feel bad at all, Mike; I was a newbie just like you two years ago, and I'm in my early 50's. The "mistakes" you are making are pretty common to newcomers, and I've made several of them myself. You're never too old to learn anything, especially concerning this hobby--you never stop learning, actually. You will meet a lot of nice, informative folks on this forum, who are willing to help you through the tough spots. The majority of the folks here are pretty patient. Occasionally you will run across one or two who take on a tone of condescension, but they are few and getting fewer.
(There has been some recent nastiness here on the forum, I'm sad to say; but thankfully the moderators and some of us members are cracking down on it and either chastising the perps or booting them off altogether. We have lost some very good members in the past who have up and left because of it, and as a result we are all trying to do our part to make this forum very friendly to all who are interested in antique and vintage phones, whether the fresh newcomer or the seasoned collector.)
Best wishes and best of luck to you in your phone-collecting adventures, Mike. Glad you contracted "phoneitis." Our good member Doug Rose has one of the more chronic cases, I'm glad to say. If left unchecked, this is where phoneitis can lead (here's a link to his collection thread; 7 pages worth, and always changing): http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=8211.0
Wow .. got worried I did something wrong ....
I got a message saying my topic had been split.
I had to search for it.
Makes sense to move it.
If anyone wants to know more about me, my post was moved to: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=22131.0
Thanks so much again!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mike