Western Electric Payphone

[wds]

I have been wanting one of the older candlestick style payphone, but i don't know anything about them.  I couldn't tell a real one from a fake, I don't think.  I came across this one and was wondering if anyone could tell me if it's authentic or not.  It seems to be a mix of old and newer parts.  Any suggestions?

Item # 121071033545

[poplar1]

The Automatic Electric 10-L lock and the transfer contacts that connect the upper housing and backplate are old; maybe the vault door. Everything else is fake. Made by phoneco in Galesville, WI.

[wds]

bummer. 

[wds]

Ok, so when you say the parts are fake, then they aren't cobbled together from old phone parts, they are reproduction-made-in-china-parts? 

[G-Man]

Ditto what popular1 said!

It appears to have been cobbled-together with whatever parts were at hand; imported or otherwise.

Receiver arm assembly = Asian knock-off, typical rough casting
Network = '80s ITT or Stromberg
Receiver= Reproduction
Coin Box Tube= Fabricated to receive coins from phony coin chute
Single-Gong Ringer= Late '70s/'80s telephone
Coin Gauge= Later design, Pop-Riveted on
Wiring Harness= Plastic insulation
Coin Chute= Fabricated, uses gongs from standard ringer, no quarter gong
Lower Housing= Most likely one of the reproductions made for Phoneco
Back Plate= Most Likely reproduction

And this is only from what we can see!

[wds]

Guess I can drop this one from my Watch List.  Thanks for all the help!

[poplar1]

http://phonecoinc.com/topic.asp?map=1&hhrl=home&gorl=group&group=main&category=Payp&topic=01017

Whenever you see a smooth back, you can be sure it is not original.

[kleenax]

I have been wanting one of the older candlestick style payphone, but i don't know anything about them.  I couldn't tell a real one from a fake, I don't think.   Any suggestions?

Here is a photo of a NICE "mostly original" Gray/Western that showed up last year. I made the photo BIG so you can see all of the original fittings that you should look for on your finds. I also want to mention that sometimes, even if the payphone is cobbled together, it "MAY" have some original parts that are VERY desirable, so don't just pass on it because it is cobbled!

Let's have some fun here, and help the newbies: we will pick this one apart and show what to look for in the photo of this one. Stan could help here! I took this photo so the phone would like something you would see sitting at a flea market; buried treasure so-to-speak 

[Russ Kirk]

I for one apprecite it.  Some of us may be knowledgeable in a few areas,  but not all areas.  So any advice is appreciated.

[wds]

Here's a picture of them side by side - not a good picture - will try to post a better one later.

[Nick in Manitou]

Since we are on the topic of "What Is This Payphone, Really?"

I am attaching a few photos of a payphone that I picked up several years ago when I saw a phone booth going too cheaply at an auction.

I was not into phones at that time but we had an outbuilding that we were fixing up for fun and thought that the phone booth and phone would go well in that space.

Since then we have moved and sold the phone booth (but not the phone) and recently I got into old phones and joined the forum.  But, I have not really looked at the payphone in the last several years.  I had used a mini-network with it so that it would send and receive calls.

From the photos I took in 2006, I can see a date of 1951 on one of the major internal components, but other than that, what I might have known - I have forgotten.

I am posting this now (before I get back into the phone for more current and complete information) because there seems to be some momentum for identifying "Franken-Pay-Phones" and hope that I could get some input.

I will tear into the phone and take any photos that might help identify it.  ( I realize now, that I have never even disassembled the receiver to see what it contains!)

Thanks for any input!

[HarrySmith]

I am no payphone expert, I have not touched mine since I bought it but from what has been said here I vote for frankenphone.

[Nick in Manitou]

I hope that I am not out of line and hijacking this thread...

I realize that mine is a Frankenphone in that I believe it is a 1950's phone trying to look like a 1930s phone, but I am hoping to get some insight from those here as to what it consists of and if the parts that look older really are.

The transmitter is labeled as a 329W and the receiver internals look, perhaps, too good to be old.  The internal part of the receiver is stamped "75 Z".

The ring on the end of the receiver is embossed with the words "Western Electric" and other marking not easily made out.  

Thanks

[erik666]

I have been wanting one of the older candlestick style payphone, but i don't know anything about them.  I couldn't tell a real one from a fake, I don't think.   Any suggestions?

Here is a photo of a NICE "mostly original" Gray/Western that showed up last year. I made the photo BIG so you can see all of the original fittings that you should look for on your finds. I also want to mention that sometimes, even if the payphone is cobbled together, it "MAY" have some original parts that are VERY desirable, so don't just pass on it because it is cobbled!

Let's have some fun here, and help the newbies: we will pick this one apart and show what to look for in the photo of this one. Stan could help here! I took this photo so the phone would like something you would see sitting at a flea market; buried treasure so-to-speak 

drool drool drool ....my holy grail

[kleenax]

I hope that I am not out of line and hijacking this thread...
Thanks

Hey Nick;

There are Frankenphones (like the one above), and there are payphones that are made to look older (with some old original & reproduction parts). Your's appears to be the latter.

Since you didn't include a front-on shot, I can't see whether it has a coin-return button on the upper-right, but I will bet it doesn't. It appears to have started out as a nice, original Western Electric 191 or maybe 197.

Get yourself an early "F1" style switch-hook, and an instruction card to put on the front (in place of that 8A trans mount), and you would have a 99% original WE 191G.