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What Made You Start Collecting Telephones?

Started by Doug Rose, June 06, 2010, 01:51:59 PM

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Rescuemo

In 1986 I was on my honeymoon and we stopped at an antique shop. There was a nice old candlestick phone for $50.00. My wife said we couldn't afford it but I was determined to get one at some point. Little did I know, she said she had to use the bathroom so she went back into the shop while I got the AC running in the car. On my first anniversary, she surprised me with the phone! Though our marriage didn't survive we remain good friends, and I still have the phone.  I've been collecting ever since. The phone turned out to be a nice AE dial-blank candlestick from the late 20's.
-Morris

I have a lot of phones, but I don't have enough.

c64man

My town has a telephone museum,  and after going inside and seeing what cool phones there was,  I decided I had to get one of my own,  well that snowballed and now I got alot of my own.  Couple of princesses,  WE500s,  Trimlines,  stuff like that.    I like the 70s and 80s phones,  but also stuff from the 20s to the 50s really interests me.    I have a full panasonic 308 setup in the house with 8 extensions ran to where I want the phones.  along with my CNET connection and 2 landlines interconnected into the works.    When im home I forward the calls from my cell phone to the  landline and I use the landine for calls when im at home


Matilo Telephones

I haven´t been collecting for very long. 6 years or something. My first Phone was a Heemaf 55 wich I rescued from a building that was due to be demolished. I took it apart and cleaned it. Then I hooked it up to my telephone line and it worked. Only dialing out wasn´t possible, since pulse dialing wasn´t supported by my provider.

Then we bought a house built in 1934 with many original features. I seemed a good idea to get a wall Phone for our hallway.

Then I bought some more phones. I thought it  would be nice to have a small exchange in the house and hook up a handfull of vintage phones around the house.

After I acquired some phones I already had, I started to restore those and sell them on the internet. I started to restore more, because I thought it was a great way to learn restoring, before I restored my own telephones, a great way to meet people and because I like buying and selling stuff. And I love restoring old stuff.

Now I own over 100 telephones. There is no ging back. I´doomed.
Groeten,

Arwin

Check out my telephone website: http://www.matilo.eu/?lang=en

And I am on facebook too: www.facebook.com/matilosvintagetelephones

WesternElectricBen

Well, I've been on this forum for over a year, and I have never really explored this thread, so I thought I would be late to the party, and give my background.

In April 2010 or so, I started to watch the old Get Smart television show, and I really started to like all of the old objects. For example, before I saw the show, I loved old cars, but then I started to like the decor, old electronics, etc., and most importantly, the phones.

I then tripped over Dennis McDonald's telephone repair videos, which I then watched almost every video. I then knew, I needed to start collecting phones, this is unusual, but I said, "I need to collect phones." For some reason, I was embarrassed to tell my mom I thought they were cool, and then my friends, and family. But I did, so I got an eBay account, and bought my first telephone.

A 1965 Western Electric Aqua telephone, when I got it, it had the 4 prong cord, which I needed a converter, and bought one. The phones ringer did not work, but I learned from lots of reading that people unhooked the ringer, so it was invincible to the phone company, so people wouldn't have to pay for an extension. I then found a loose wire, and was just so lucky to connect it to the correct terminal, and it then worked.

After that I was given a 1956 5302, which I liked too. After that, it just kept going, going, and going...

Almost 4 years later, I love the hobby as much as when I started it, having over 130 telephones, or so.

Sorry about boring you with my life story,
Ben

Doug Rose

Great story Ben...thanks for sharing with us....Doug
Kidphone

WesternElectricBen

Quote from: Doug Rose on February 05, 2014, 05:47:15 PM
Great story Ben...thanks for sharing with us....Doug

Thanks Doug,

I'm glad you read it, I thought it was too long!

Ben

WEBellSystemChristian

Wow Ben, you've been collecting for 4 years? No wonder you have such a wonderful collection :D.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WesternElectricBen

Thanks, Christian, I appreciate that!

And yes, it will be 4 years, this May..

Ben

mentalstampede

I got into telephones due to a general love of all things electro-mechanical and old, but the main genesis was because my love of Art Deco brought the name Henry Dreyfuss to my attention, and I started looking for a nice WE302.  Once I had a 302, I needed to fix it up, and then I needed a 354, and a Kellogg Redbar, and on and on, and you know how that goes.

I had fallen out of the old phones habit for a few years, and until recently had been focusing my collecting on vinyl records when my brother bought a three slot payphone on ebay. fast forward a few weeks, and I've completely relapsed! I'v got my own payphone project, and new 500, and a North TP-6-A within the last few weeks. It's a disease, but it sure is an enjoyable one.
My name is Kenn, and I like telephones.

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." --Robert Heinlein

Scotophor

#69
Quote from: mentalstampede on March 13, 2014, 12:11:34 AMI got into telephones due to a general love of all things electro-mechanical and old...
Ditto, including non-"electro" mechanical things as well. I had been thinking about getting a rotary phone, when I happened upon a Northern Electric NE-500 in a thrift shop for $10. Now I'm doomed. ;D
Name: A.J.   Location: LAPNCAXG, EDgewood 6

mentalstampede

Quote from: Scotophor on March 15, 2014, 03:47:05 AM
I had been thinking about getting a rotary phone, when I happened upon a Northern Electric NE-500 in a thrift shop for $10. Now I'm doomed. ;D

It only gets worse! Or better, depending on your perspective.
My name is Kenn, and I like telephones.

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." --Robert Heinlein

Fabius

In 1979 I was working for Continental Telephone (CONTEL) in Cazadero California as a switchman (Stromberg Carlson XY step equipment). I was at a outdoor flea market and bought a plain front and top single box. It had Swedish American parts. I hooked it up to the Pacific T&T line at home in Santa Rosa. It worked fine but got a call from the phone police telling me I had a extra phone on the line. I denied it and they said they were sending someone over to check the house. At that time Pacific Telephone owned the inside wire and the phone. I took the single box. The guy came over and was there only a few minutes. I told him that the extra capacitance they read on the line was wet cable from all the rain. They would detect the capacitance or the ringer/s and could tell how many phones where on a line.

I found out about Village Telephone Supply in the Bay area and drove there to check it out. They told me about antique telephone shows and the ATCA and the rest is history. VTS and Steve Hilsz are now in Salome.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

twocvbloke

Quote from: Fabius on March 29, 2014, 11:27:02 AMThey would detect the capacitance or the ringer/s and could tell how many phones where on a line.

Usually it was the additional ringers that made it obvious, as a 2nd ringer would add extra load onto the line so your line when it was ringing was drawing more power, which they noticed and then sent in the heavies to find the "illegal phone"... :)

Doug Rose

#73
Hey Tom ...Welcome to the Forum. You willl find a lot of familiar names here. Glad to have you aboard....Doug
Kidphone

Fabius

Thanks Doug. Hope to see of them at the upcoming Michigan show.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905