AEI Centenary Neophone - Intercom?

[benkeys]

I am the new owner of this odd looking phone I won on ebay. I consulted with some guys on the ATCA group on facebook since  it is a bit easier than always posting here: 

Vintage-UNKNOWN-TYPE-DESK-BUSINESS-PHONE-HAND-SET-A-E-I-PORDUCT-WINTRONICS-NY

I will be paying for it in the next day or so and will probably get it in 3-4 days.  I'll have about 40.00 in it with shipping. What do you guys think? And do any of you have any idea what it is and would it be possible to use it over here, since it is English? I realize it doesnt have a dial on it, but i figure i could use it as a secondary phone. I'll post pics of the guts when i get it.

[Scotophor]

If I had to guess, I would say it's an intercom station, never meant to connect to the public telephone network. But I'm new here and could easily be mistaken.

[Phonesrfun]

I agree, probably an intercom.  It would not connect to the phone system without some sort of conversion.  Sellers don't always know what they're selling. If it looks like a phone, they may call it a phone, even if it isn't one.

[twocvbloke]

Well, whatever it is, it's based on an AEI (Siemens Bros.) Centenary Neophone:

http://www.britishtelephones.com/siemensb/cenneo.htm

Looking at the way it's been put together though, I'd agree that it's part of an intercom system, I wouldn't go as far to say that it's not intended for telephone line use as it could have been part of a PBX system that had someone manually routing calls to people...

But we'll only know when it's opened up and you can see the guts...

[Doug Rose]

I was outbid at the very end. Looked to be metal with an Maroon handset. Intercom of some sort. Never seen anything like it....Doug

http://tinyurl.com/nfwz5cj

[twocvbloke]

A Siemens Bros./AEI Centenary Neophone most likely built up as an intercom, as mentioned here:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11391.0

[TelePlay]

Ended: Mar 08, 2014 18:16:58 PST
Winning bid: US $28.00 [ 5 bids ]
Shipping: $12.35

And the new owner is a forum member:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11391.msg121649#msg121649

[LarryInMichigan]

That is definitely a Centenary Neophone shell and handset: forum link.

Larry

[TelePlay]

Larry in Michigan posted on this style/type of phone last  month. He just put this link up:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11294.msg120706#msg120706

[WesternElectricBen]

I think Doug Rose just made a post on it, how he was outbid!

But I do agree, some sort of intercom.

Ben

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Definitely looks like an intercom conversion of some sort.

[benkeys]

Well, I will find out what it is soon. That would be me he was bidding against. I seen this phone a few days ago and it didnt have any watchers and i thought it was a unique piece to have. So I started bidding on it with a few minutes left and kept getting outbid by automated bids and at the last minute I put in my top number and was surprised I actually got it.

[benkeys]

I had my eye on this thing for a few days. Apparently we both had the same idea and apparently found it unique enough to want it. Once I get it I will post pictures of the insides for everyone to see.

[benkeys]

Well, I got it today. I first opened the black box, that is a network of some type. Then the phone. It is in fact not a phone like you guys suspected. I honestly have no clue what it is, but probably some sort of intercom like you guys said. On the handset it has a small button and on the outside the things sticking out are lights above the grille which is a speaker. On the inside there is a switch hook of some sort and a 30 ohm wire wound resistor. Not certain what all that other stuff is in there. I took 2 pics of the inside and one of the inside of the network.

[LarryInMichigan]

The metal bracket on which the speaker is mounted is the bracket which would have held the dial on the normal phone.  I strongly suspect that these intercoms were made with surplus phone parts, probably because the phones didn't sell very well.

Larry