Trying to Date a Two-Box Stromberg Carlson

[Rexophone]

Hi,

I am not a telephone collector as such other than owning a Western Electric candlestick and a Stromberg Carlson single-box wooden wall phone I got from a childhood friend as a kid.  However I have always admired the multi-box wall phones and wanted to get one eventually.  I found a fix-er-up Stromberg Carlson two-box with a Triplet transmitter/coil mount at a local flea-market.  Yes, I need to rebuild the battery box, but that's manageable.

By the way, does anyone have a source for a replacement patent decal for the Triplet?  If you hold my rusty unit just right you can tell that it originally had the decal, but its pretty much gone as you can see from one of the photos.

I'm trying to learn something about the age of my phone.  I've looked through the 1901, 1905, and 1914 catalogs that are on line, as well as every EBay and Craig's List photo I can find of the SC two-box phones.  I've compared styles of Triplets, transmitters, receivers, generators, latches, and lightening arrestors to my phone.  Now I'm just confused.

My phone has the cast iron Triplet with individual vertical terminals.  This style appears in the 1901 catalog, but has been replaced in the 1905 catalog by a stamped steel Triplet with a horizontal terminal strip.   That would tend to make me think my phone was made sometime before 1905.  However my Triplet has the style of transmitter and receiver which appear in the 1905 catalog rather than the earlier publication.  When did the later transmitter appear?  My phone also has the lightening arrestor with round carbon discs (mine partially missing).  These appear in the 1901 catalog but not the 1905 catalog.   So where does my phone fall?  I'm more confused after pondering the generator.

Looking at the catalogs it seems that the style of generator used about 1901 has fine-toothed brass gears located opposite of the side with the crank.  Most seem not to have a nameplate, but one appears in the 1901 catalog with what seems to be a stamped metal nameplate.  By 1905 SC is using their popular cast metal nameplate.  The generator uses cast end-plates and brass gears with coarse teeth.  The 1914 catalog shows generators with stamped metal nameplates and brass gears with coarse teeth.  My generator has a nickel plated stamped metal nameplate, nickeled magnets, stamped metal end-plates, and a two-part stamped metal gear riveted together.  I would have guessed that to be a much later style of generator than my phone.  What do you think?  Do I have that wrong, or could this be a replacement generator?

Thanks,
Clueless Steve

[rdelius]

Looks like older triplett arm.I suspect the generator and receiver failed through the years and got replaced. I do not think either part is hard to find .I would not worry about it but if the parts turn up it would be nice

[Rexophone]

Thanks!  I appreciate the feedback.  I wish my decal was still in good shape, so goes collecting. 

Steve

[Sargeguy]

When newer parts were introduced, manufacturers offered older parts at a discount.    In the early days of telephony it was common for a telco, especially a smaller one, to customize telephones by putting together different components that would serve the customers needs.  They would have a range of new and used top boxes, ringer boxes, transmitters and receivers, and backboards that they could mix and match to make a two or three boxer.  A customer who lived a block from the main office would have a different phone than someone living two miles away.  They usually followed a standard form, but not always.  A one-size fits all complete telephone was a later concept for the most part. 

[Rexophone]

Thanks!  This helps.  I wondered if mix and match was going on over 100 years ago with telephone companies.  Are their any other S-C catalogs available other than the 1901 and 1905 editions that are on line?  It is interesting to see the evolution of the phones and parts from the catalogs. 

What is the age of the S-C generators with the two-piece upper gear?  The two gear pieces are riveted together with the teeth aligned 1/2 tooth apart.

Steve