LPB-89-55 inside pics to review

[jjacob]

More as a learning experience, can I get some of you to look at the interior shots of this LPB-89-55 that is on ebay? I really don't think I would bid on it because I think I would prefer an 82-55.
But as a learning experience to recognize what might be missing I would appreciate your review.

The seller says the ID plate shows LPB-89-35 but I think the last two digits should really be "55."

Seller says when she opened up the case (has all keys) she found instructions inside. Does this mean it was converted at one time? Do you recognize the work of someone? Looks like an old conversion done by the phone company for residential use (white stickers on upper and lower housing)?

To me the upper housing seems to be missing a terminal board and there appears to be a yellow wire cut.

Also on the lower housing the coin relay looks to be missing? No original network inside?

Thanks in advance for the lesson!
John

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261291699121

[Haf]

memories of a simpler time.

...when pictures used to be blurred

Was there really a version of the lower housing saying "GTE Automatic Electric Company"? I have only ones with "Automatic Electric Company" and older with the additional "Chicago, Ill, USA"

Haf

[jjacob]

Yes the seller seems incapable of taking anything other than blurry photos.

[Haf]

maybe the seller is farsighted, that will explain the pictures if you focus the camera like it's sharp for you and then a 55 looks maybe like a 35 too

Of course it has to be 55, as far as I know it is 5+5 Cent (=10 Cent initial rate) and not 3+5 Cent.  Never seen a three slot with a 3 Cent piece slot

I'm sorry, that won't help you with your question, I know.

Haf

[jjacob]

Well first thing I thought was that it was 35 cents, needing a quarter and a dime. But none of the AE literature shows any suffix other than xx-55 or xx-10.
John

[TelePlay]

Yes the seller seems incapable of taking anything other than blurry photos.

But the back of the chair, behind the phone, on the other side of the table, is in perfect focus.  

Reasonably good digital cameras are available for a lot less than a cell phone and take much better quality pictures, and in focus too.

[G-Man]

The coin relay is in place but I am unable to make out whether the transfer contacts installed. However because of the blurry photos I can only guess at this point but it does appear to be intact.

While I can believe that GTE appears on the code plate on top of the upper housing but I doubt that it was also stamped into the lower housing.

Being made in Huntsville probably means that it was amongst the very last manufactured before the demise of AECo/GTE.

There were only -55 and -10 suffixes or none at all if a single nickel was used to place a call.

In some cases it was cheaper for a very small telco to give away local calls instead of paying for expensive C.O. equipment. The paystation would have been located in a general store or similar location where people traveling through or others without a telephone could place long distance calls.

[G-Man]

I forgot to mention that the handset is not original to this set however it could have either been replaced because the old one was damaged or since it is HAC it was installed to be in compliance with the disabilities act.

Also, thinking further about it being manufactured in Huntsville, I would have thought that the last 3-slot payphones GTE/AECo would have manufactured would have been the LPC-series rather than the older LPB-types.

As a side-note, perhaps Terry or someone else can recall when GTE shifted production down to Huntsville. ISTR it occurring in the late '70s.

[jjacob]

I forgot to mention that the handset is not original to this set however it could have either been replaced because the old one was damaged or since it is HAC it was installed to be in compliance with the disabilities act.

I am not quite following this. How is the handset different from original?
Thanks, John

[rdelius]

Looks like an AE handset from here withe the blue grommet that shows that it has been fitted with a hearing aid coil with the receiver.Somewhat newer than the telephone but still AE.Hope the transfer contacts are there in the upper housing.LPB 89s are harder to make work on a home telephone line than others