Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Wooden Phones => Topic started by: Sargeguy on March 04, 2012, 10:55:33 PM

Title: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on March 04, 2012, 10:55:33 PM
I won this auction on eBay, I was the only bidder at $9.99:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/330693743350 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/330693743350)

I don't collect much telephone ephemera, mostly I blow my money on actual phones, but this one struck me as being especially classy:

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-o3qOXxgEYSU/T1Q23ZQI7FI/AAAAAAAAWuE/ERUl94gUghY/s640/%2524%2528KGrHqJ%252C%2521gwE8NWumGjnBPSrqIwfmw%257E%257E60_57.JPG)

Front

(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-E0srUHf4Jsg/T1Q23Vx8vUI/AAAAAAAAWuA/3WM2BIDaFcE/s640/%2524%2528KGrHqF%252C%2521q0E88giGVyuBPSrqsI3%252Bw%257E%257E60_57.JPG)

Back

That's a Blake transmitter that guy is farting into!!!
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: twocvbloke on March 04, 2012, 11:02:22 PM
Now that does appeal to my sense of humour!!! :D

And I have done that before.... :D
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on March 05, 2012, 12:31:01 AM
It honors the early pioneers of "farting around with phones"
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: david@london on March 05, 2012, 05:32:19 AM

  - those curly lines emanating from the top of the Blake transmitter........  are they an early form of multiple reticulated cords? ...............  or an artist's depiction of the rush of warm air, heading north?
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: bingster on March 05, 2012, 07:03:21 PM
I saw that and cracked up.  Notice that the "lady" is handling a second transmitter in an odd manner.
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: twocvbloke on March 05, 2012, 08:17:35 PM
Quote from: bingster on March 05, 2012, 07:03:21 PM
I saw that and cracked up.  Notice that the "lady" is handling a second transmitter in an odd manner.

The mind, it boggles!!! :D
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: bingster on March 05, 2012, 10:07:57 PM
My mind was so boggled that I confused the extra receiver for a transmitter. :)
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on March 20, 2012, 09:22:22 PM
I regret to inform you that the plate has been lost by the PO. :( :( :(
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: twocvbloke on March 20, 2012, 09:40:12 PM
Well darn, hope you get your money back at least... :(

At least though, you got the pictures, and it's still a very amusing image to look at... :D
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on March 20, 2012, 10:44:56 PM
The tracking number has it as delivered but  I was home all day on the delivery date and no package.
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: twocvbloke on March 20, 2012, 10:55:12 PM
Call up the PO, they can say where and when it was delivered as most of the tracking is electronic, and they will (or should) have an electronic signature to go with it...

If it ain't your signature, then someone's either signed for it at another address, or you have a thieving postman who decided to keep it for himself... :-\
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on March 21, 2012, 12:21:42 AM
Delivery confirmation just means that they drop it on your porch, you don't actually sign for.  It was apparently dropped on someone else's porch.  The PO says they'll keep an eye out, and asked me to confirm the address from the shipper, etc.  My wife had a package disappear the same way on the same day.
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: flingwing1969 on March 21, 2012, 12:42:35 AM
There are actually thieves that follow FedEx, UPS, or USPS trucks around and wait for them to drop packages on a porch and then they swoop in a pluck them.
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: twocvbloke on March 21, 2012, 02:23:54 PM
Over here in the UK, they have to deliver to a person for most parcels and packages, some posties will place some packages in a safe place if requested or if your yard is reasonably secure, but most of the time it'll either go back to the sorting office or go to a neighbour, to prevent people following delivery vans to steal parcels...
Title: Re: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on January 24, 2013, 11:59:34 PM
I am sticking this the top of the page in the hopes that some sharp-eyed member might spot it on eBay or the like.  I have contacted the Interpol Registry of Stolen Art and Antiquities.  At this point I can only hope. :'(
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Nick in Manitou on January 25, 2013, 12:19:04 AM
We had a parcel declared, "delivered" by the post office and we had not received it.  A couple days later it arrived in one piece.  I contacted the regional post office folks and they said that if the postal person delivered it to the wrong address by accident, it would show up as "delivered".

Luckily, the majority of folks are honest and will get an incorrectly delivered item back to the post office within a couple days.  

Perhaps it will show up...

[Edit]...Whoops, I just  noticed that the delivery should have taken place a long time ago...
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: AE_Collector on January 25, 2013, 01:38:58 AM
Okay, I'm lost. You bought this close to a year ago. Did it NOT arrive in the mail and you are just now giving up on it ever arriving?

Terry
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: HowardPgh on January 25, 2013, 11:06:50 AM
Check and see if you have a "helpful" neighbor.
I shipped a package one time and the buyers neighbor  received it and put it in his hall closet and forgot about it.
Howard
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: George Knighton on January 25, 2013, 12:08:59 PM
So glad I live in a tiny town out in the Virginia Styx.

You could leave a gold brick in your driveway overnight and it'd be there in the morning.
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on January 25, 2013, 04:13:21 PM
QuoteOkay, I'm lost. You bought this close to a year ago. Did it NOT arrive in the mail and you are just now giving up on it ever arriving?

I will NEVER give up hope!
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Sargeguy on January 26, 2013, 08:33:18 AM
I think the drawing on the back is part of the gag, hence the name "The First Salute" on the front.  It strikes me as something that was a one-off, perhaps as an inside joke, rather than something mass-produced.  I was hoping to present this piece to the PBS show History Detectives, but I'm afraid that will never be.
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: Jim Stettler on April 11, 2013, 04:52:20 PM
Quote from: bingster on March 05, 2012, 07:03:21 PM
I saw that and cracked up.  Notice that the "lady" is handling a second transmitter in an odd manner.

The second transmitter is actually  used as a receiver. later they improved the transmitters.
Jim
Title: Re: MISSING: Vulgar Victorian Phone Plate
Post by: rdelius on April 11, 2013, 05:01:44 PM
there was a similar plate in one of the telephone collectors club newsletters many
20? years ago.I think it was a different shape and I think you held it up to light to see the other message.Same or very similar artwork