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Salesman Samples, Promos and other Miniature Telephones

Started by Dewdrop, October 16, 2010, 04:31:11 PM

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Dewdrop

What is this little thing and how much do they usually sell for?

Size: 4 1/2" long and 4" wide and 2 1/4" high

Thanks
Debbie
Debbie

Dennis Markham

Looks like one of those Salesman Samples they talk about.  That one has white letters/numbers.  It looks like maybe Light Gray or Rose Beige.  Yesterday a collector on the TCI sold two of the for $28 each.  They sold within minutes of him listing them on the TCI list serve.  Clean it up and put it on eBay and it could go for higher.  We were just talking about those yesterday.  I think a couple of guys, including Jonathan have the entire set of early soft plastic colors.

Dewdrop

Thanks Dennis

So if I bought this one for $21.71 it would be a good price?

The color is gray.

Debbie
Debbie

Dennis Markham

Compared to the one that sold for $28, yes.  I don't know what the condition of that one was.  Will there be one cheaper someday on eBay?  Maybe.  I guess it's worth what someone is willing to pay.  If you spend $21.71 then it's worth that much.  How's that for a non-committal answer?

KeithB

Interesting to see it has no 'Operator' text of any kind around the zero.  :o

Adam

Yeah, I believe all of them were made that way.  Always having been fascinated by the Northern Electric Quebec dials (made without the word Operator) I noticed that too.  I assumed these were made that way because they were too small to do the word operator legibly.

Still looking for a red one of these, in case anyone has one laying around.  Needs to be in the original complete state (not pen holder, music box, etc.)
Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

Dewdrop

Forgot to mention $21.71 includes shipping (half of the price)

Thanks for the info

Debbie
Debbie

jsowers

Debbie, I think that price was OK. I don't like to pay more than that, unless it's a really rare color. Yours looks to be light gray and probably dates from 1957-64 or so. Light gray was added in late 1957 to the WE 500 colors. And eventually (nobody knows when) the fingerwheel did change to the solid center type.

The ones with the Bell logo are the best of the lot. As Masstel said, there are some that are music boxes and penholders and such, and they're not worth as much to me as the Bell logo ones because they're toys and not something the phone company gave away.

Some were salesman's samples and some were used to represent Christmas presents (and any other time of year) when someone would give what amounted to a gift certificate of phone service or an extension or whatever from the Phone Company. You didn't get much with the sheet of paper, so they threw in a little phone to make it worthwhile. I have a couple of these small promos (my name for them) in the original Christmas box still with the gift certificate inside. I've also seen this mentioned in phone company magazines and seen them on the desks of phone company executives in pictures in those same magazines.

I don't quite have a complete set. I don't have brown and my dark blue is missing its handset. The dark colors are very hard to find. I also have some chalkware promos. If you want something really hard to find, try collecting those! I have only seen these in 11 years on eBay--all bought in one auction from Maine.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1421.msg18581#msg18581
Jonathan

Jim Stettler

Quote from: jsowers on October 17, 2010, 12:15:48 AM


Some were salesman's samples and some were used to represent Christmas presents (and any other time of year) when someone would give what amounted to a gift certificate of phone service or an extension or whatever from the Phone Company. You didn't get much with the sheet of paper, so they threw in a little phone to make it worthwhile. I have a couple of these small promos (my name for them) in the original Christmas box still with the gift certificate inside. I've also seen this mentioned in phone company magazines and seen them on the desks of phone company executives in pictures in those same magazines.


http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1421.msg18581#msg18581


I never realized about the "Christmas Present" promo. I have seen ads, It does make sense to have a package to open on Christmas.  I think those Christmas packaging are very HTF. Cool find

Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

jsowers

Jim, here are some pictures of two of the Christmas promos I've seen, complete with box and certificate. The striped box one belongs to a friend, but I have one exactly like it (the seller had two). I don't know why I can't find the pictures of mine, but it's just as well. Both seem to be Illinois Bell. I'm not sure every Baby Bell did this, and you can tell the red and gold striped one is later because of the 1969 Bell logo on the gift card and the solid center fingerwheel.
Jonathan

Dewdrop

Thanks for the great information regarding this little phone.

If I decide to get it, I'll post a better picture of it.

Debbie
Debbie

Dennis Markham

I have a couple of the small phones that I've picked up along the way.  One that is NOT a Bell release is this music box.  It's the same size as the others.  This one is still with its original box.

Dewdrop

Nice music phone.

I DID IT!

Hopefully I'll receive the gray phone later this week.

Debbie
Debbie

JorgeAmely

Dennis:

I bet you can't have it fixed these days for a buck!
Jorge

Dennis Markham