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ATC/Decotel Chest Phones

Started by paul-f, February 25, 2011, 06:47:22 PM

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paul-f

ATC/Decotel made lots of chest phone variations.  Only a few were sold through the Bell System.

Many decorative top panels were produced, some for companies, sports teams and universities, others using different decorative materials.  Some had presentation plaques for events or product promotions

Show us the different models you've discovered.

I'll start with several ship theme designs.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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stopthemachine

I will add mine soon.  Paul, did you see the seller on eBay recently who was selling the cases to these phones, NOS?  (No guts to them though--essentially hollow phones, for all practical purposes.)  I should have gotten a couple of them, but I didn't.  Oy!  They were cool too--one was the sailboat, like in your pic, but I can't remember what the others were.   

paul-f

No.  I haven't been watching these lately.

The empty cases  need the internal kits that were sold a few years ago, shown below.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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stopthemachine

I love the mosaic chestphone avatar, btw!

AE_Collector

Did the NOS cases go for very big money? I have a complete internal only that needs a case! Guys used to take the recovered chestphones and use the original solid wood boxes to make jewelry boxes etc.

Terry

stopthemachine

I have no idea, actually.  I checked my Watch List, and it wasn't in there. 

I wish I'd known you were looking for one of them; I'll keep an eye out next time and give you the "heads up."

AE_Collector

I didn't *really* know that I was looking for one either until you mentioned that they had been on ebaY! I'll search a bit more often for them myself.

Thanks......Terry

paul-f

Here's a photo of the mosaic set (former avatar) and a few more from the photo collection.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Westrex

It's been 12 years since this was posted in, but here's my Chest Phone branded Gen. Telephone of California.
Check out the site below for helpful information about Automatic Electric phones.

http://kwan-nick.neocities.org/AE2.html