Strowger 11 Digit

[wrangler64]

Thanks for the info on how to post photos. Going to try and post three pics of this phone, the first one shows the phone with the battery pack. I haven't seen any photos on-line that includes the battery, still undecided if I will leave the battery off or display it with the phone.

[HowardPgh]

The "battery pack" that the phone is sitting on in the first picture looks like a Ford Model T ignition coil.
I thought that the window in the fingerstop was just a decorative element in its design.

[DavePEI]

Thanks for the welcomes. If I have the parts re chromed does it effect the value of the phones. You hear all the time that you should leave them original. Also the finger hole dialer is not very heavy what kind of material would that be on the strowger, did they have pot metal back then ?

Hi Wrangler:

After seeing the photo of your phone, I would only get the button plate re-nickeled. When you see admonissions to "leaving them original", it refers to undamaged parts - if you can restore a damaged part, or replace it with the correct part, and not a reproduction - go ahead - it will increase the value. In this case, the plate is damaged enough to warrant re-plating.

Unlike furniture and many other antiques, it was a regular practice of the telcos to send phones back for refurbishing, so it is more acceptable.

Just don't replace things with other manufacturer's parts - that created what we call a frankenphone, and that does reduce its value.

IMHO, I don't feel your dial is bad enough to warrant refinishing, just the plate below. You should be on the lookout for an early AE receiver.

Dave

[AE_Collector]

I thought that the window in the fingerstop was just a decorative element in its design.

I always thought that it would have been logical to have a message like "Push to Ring" in the Fingerstop Window on these since originally the push button right below the window was the button that was pushed to actually ring the distant phone. Soon afterwards they came up with "Automatic Ringing" at the CO end so tha tis why all the buttons are missing on these phones.

However, no picture has ever been seen (to the best of my knowledge) of a Strowger phone with anything written in this window so it almost seems that it may have eben just decorative. It would be a spot to put the phone number if the fingerwheel didn't hace a spot specifically for the phone number.

Terry

[wrangler64]

Thanks for all the advice. I lucked out on finding someone to do my nickel plating. A guy here owns a custom bike shop and I happened to be talking to him and he says he has a place that will do it all for me. He also did some painting for me on my Northern Electric phone. He also does some work on antiques so he was quite interested in my phone projects. My husband is starting to get interested too and has been thinking about how we can display them. Someone mentioned on here that this becomes a disease and I think they are right. My husband said today he wished he had bought the two phones he saw last year at a farm auction for $50 bucks, I wish he had too. He now knows to bid if he sees anymore. When I get these phones all fixed up Ill post some photos.
***update on my phone project. I sent a few parts away to have them nickeled again and got them back couple days ago. Went to put the finger stop on and they refinished the wrong side  so now I have to send it back and have it redone and I hope there is no extra cost. All the other pieces look good and phone is ready to display once I get the finger stop back again.