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SC 1543?

Started by Tom B, December 26, 2010, 11:37:25 AM

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Tom B

I just bought this Stromberg Carlson 1543(?) off the Bay It was BIN'd at $35, but after some negotiating I got it for $12  :D
As usual I have questions:-)
What is the possible age of the phone?
Did I get a good deal?
Are these things as bomb proof as the 500's?


Thanks muchly in advance
Tom

Dan

They are built well, I don't like their bell ringer system as well.

I have one similar , I am guessing early 50's.
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

paul-f

I've found the SC dials to be less reliable than either WE or AE dials.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

LarryInMichigan

That is the older style of 1543.  The later one had much smaller feet, a clear finger wheel, and a plastic handset with a simpler design.  That phone is probably from the 1950s.  I do not remember if those were dated.  The later ones were.  Look inside on the network and the ringer for a code which includes a date.  Many, if not most 1543s were shipped with frequency ringers.  Does yours have a normal (straight line) ringer?  There was a chart posted here a while back showing the model codes and the corresponding ringer types.  The model code is usually printed on the bottom of the base.

Larry

Tom B

Larry
I just bought the bugger but be assured when I get it I'll answer all questions then :)
Tom

LarryInMichigan

From what I have noticed, SC 1543s are not considered especially desirable, for whatever reason, at least the black ones.  I bought two, one old style and one newer style, one day from the same ebay seller for $4.20 each.  The auctions ended a few minutes apart.  The seller shipped them together in one box.  They needed some restoration work.  Several weeks later, I bought a converted 1543 (technically a 1586) on ebay for $1.99.  There are pictures of them in the thread http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1888.0.


Larry

Tom B

This is a first for me to get to have a look at one of these phones. Have you noticed that the handset cord is straight?
Tom

LarryInMichigan

I see that this phone has a straight handset cord.  I do not know how common that was, but in general, straight cords were not uncommon in the 1950s.  My older 1543 came with a coiled rubber cord which was torn beyond hope.

Larry

Tom B

#8
Larry
The phone base shows the model type to be a 1543 WA SL (straight line?), and a date of 6 47. There is another stamp on the base of 476. The dial has a stamp of 436 on thr plastic cover, and 729-DE-212 on the dial backplate - There's another stamp of 485 on the backplate The ringer is a 74A, again dated 6 47. The handset elements are both dated 6 47. The network part number (?) is 210640-R.
I hooked it up to the phone line and got dial tone but no ring. Upon closer examination I found a black ringer wire disconnected and wrapped in tape, tucked into the base of the ringer - and then immediately found a mint condition wiring  diagram for the phone and other configs folded and tucked next to the ringer - this is going to be a great project and a definite keeper ;D
Before and after pics to follow.....
Tom

LarryInMichigan

Tom,

I am not sure that "6 47" is the date because I do not think that these were made quite that early.  Mine has alot of numbers printed all over, but most of them are cryptic codes.  I do not see anything on mine which looks like a date.

The frequency ringers generally have large, fat clappers, and the clapper arms are held by stiff reeds.  If your ringer has a clapper arm which moves easily and has a small clapper on the end, it may be a straight line ringer.  It is quite possible that a previous owner disconnected the ringer to avoid detection by the big, evil phone company.  They liked to send a current down subscribers' lines and measure the conductance to determine the number of phones connected.  If they thought that a subscriber had more phones than the number for which they were being billed, the phone company would add additional charges to their bill.  When I was a kid, my mother had me install phones all over our house, but I made sure than none of the extra ones had connected ringers.

Enjoy your phone :)

Larry

Tom B

Well it is a straight line ringer - I wired the black wire from the ringer  as directed to the C2 terminal on the network and the phone rang when I called my home number with my mobile phone. Sweet!
Tom