bell system phone

[mark9564]

Anybody give me any info on this phone?

[poplar1]

Fake instruction cards and fake number card are the type used by "Phoneco" in Wisconsin . Automatic Electric dial and probably AE upper housing. Lower housing looks like WE but could be a fake Bell System tag on a Northern Electric. I'd guess  that this is a Frankenphone assembled by phoneco. Note the added screws on coin return escutcheon. Phone probably has an ITT or S-C network inside.

[rdelius]

Phoneco has all the 3 slot housings reproduced.Top housing has a lip around the lower lip.Holes for AE parts . The lower hosing has Western Electric markings above the coin vault door,can be filled in if wanted plain,back casting has no ribs.Thelphone does look Phone co but might have an origional shell

[Jim Stettler]

I don't think that phoneco uses repro top housings, However most of their payphones came from payphone rebuilders which assembled them from the next part on the pile.  Back in the day you could pay extra to get a complete original payphone. Now the supply is pretty much picked over.

If you study the phoneco offerings, it appears to me they had plenty of top housings, it was bottom housing that were in short supply. They started creating some of the "Phoneco  Specials" with wooden bottoms ect.

JMO,
Jim

[poplar1]

Mark, is that phone listed on Ebay, or there are any more photos?

I believe that phoneco assembled this particular phone maybe 15 or 20 years ago, when they still had more original parts. Note the upper housing lock, probably a 29S -- or a 10-L that has been modified to work with their 29S repro key. Nowadays they usually use a fake "lock" with a large screw slot on the front.

In the current catalog, the red and black PAYCO is "85%" repro--with new upper housing, new lower housing, and new back. But other pay phones, including the "wood metal payphones" (WMPAY and WM2PC) still have "old upper housing(s),"
according to the catalog.

Their current repro lower housing has two fake posts (above the coin return) to make it appear to have had at one time a Gray-style black and chrome escutcheon marked "Coin Return". The "Western Electric Co." marked above the vault is like the logo on the c. 1934-1940 housings on the 160-series phones.

http://www.phonecoinc.com/category.asp?map=1&hhrl=home&group=main&gorl=group&category=Payp

[mark9564]

It was at an antique shop that I went by today.

[poplar1]

Are there any markings on the outside for model number or dates? It's probably a real NE or WE back, because the repro backs are made for the AE-style  hooks and contacts.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

The switchhook is definitely WE. I wojld bet that it was a 233G that had an AE dial installed and Phoneco dial card and instruction card too.

[Sargeguy]

I would avoid this one unless it was real cheap

[poplar1]

The upper housing definitely not from a WE or NE 233G -- there's no coin release button.