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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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cihensley@aol.com

I have all colors, including the four discontinued colors (oxford gray, rose beige, etc.), except, would you believe it, black. They all look the same, but close examination discloses some differences. Some were originally music boxes.

Chuck

Gilas

Thanks I tried searching the site here and found very little about them.  Figured someone would have some hidden knowledge.

jsowers

There are open and solid center fingerwheel 500 promos. I call them promos, for whatever reason. You can try searching on that word and see what comes up. The solid center ones are later, from the latter 1960s, and not too plentiful. It seems they didn't make as many in the later years.

In the early years of color phones, they were used to show all the available colors and came in a display case. This is why black is not that plentiful since most everyone had a black phone already. There are a few two-tone promos that date to the early years--1953-57 or so.

Some promos came in boxes and were used to represent a gift of phone service, and came with a certificate telling what the recipient got. Some have Christmas boxes and others are fairly plain.

As Chuck Hensley said, they were also made as music boxes. Also penholders and Junior Achievement projects. To me, those are more like toys and less like promos since I don't think the phone company had anything to do with them. I have boxes for those too and it's a kind of dime store kiddie toy. They still make a nice display and some even have coil cords on them.

I used to think that the real phone company promos only had Bell logo number cards on them, but that's probably not the case after seeing the last display case up for auction where none of them had logo cards. I would venture to say that the ones that do have logo cards originated at the phone company since that logo wouldn't be on a toy sold in a store for copyright reasons. But that wouldn't stop someone from putting one in there somewhere along the line.

I remember Paul Fassbender saying he was doing some research into these items. Maybe he will chime in with some information? There isn't much out there on them, and they also made Princess, 2500 and Trimline promos.
Jonathan

paul-f

#63
I agree with the observations made so far.

I'm still gathering info.  Summarizing it is relatively low priority, so it may be a while until the results are in.

Some other observations:

Some of the JA projects filled the housings with plaster of paris -- apparently to make them better paperweights.

In addition to pen holders and music boxes, there were banks.

There is also a metal 50 Millionth Phone commemorative mini.

The handset handles on some were hot stamped with ads, Operating Company events (open houses, dial conversions, employee attendance or other awards, etc.) and in the case of the Princess the Seattle World's Fair.

Here are a few forum links with photos...

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=3312.msg43922#msg43922

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=828.msg34773#msg34773

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=828.msg34799#msg34799

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1421.15

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=828.msg48448#msg48448

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=828.msg48711#msg48711

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4164.0

Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Jester

Quote from: jsowers on September 23, 2012, 10:02:22 AM
There are open and solid center fingerwheel 500 promos.

They also made Princess, 2500 and Trimline promos.

I recently won the lot pictured below, which shows nearly every feature discussed above.  The Princess is not represented, but every other model and version is all there in one lot.
Stephen


AE_Collector

#66
So lets make this the "Salesman Sample's, Promo's and other Miniature Phones" thread where we can try to put most of the pictures and info on these little phones. There is already some good discussion and pictures here now and it is in the "Collector's Corner" Board which seems ike the logical place for it.

I have merged some past threads about this type of phones into this thread to make this thread a more complete discussion about these phones.

Terry

Dave F

#67
Quote from: paul-f on September 23, 2012, 12:58:23 PM

<snip>...There is also a metal 50 Millionth Phone commemorative mini...


Here is the metal paperweight COMMEMORATING THE FIFTY MILLIONTH TELEPHONE IN SERVICE IN THE UNITED STATES      NOVEMBER 1953.

Jester

Dave F,

That is COOL!! 8)  I've looked at more than one of these on eBay over the past three years, but haven't committed to one yet!  Nice find!
Stephen

DavePEI

#69
I had fun with my AE sample a while back in the "Genetics Gone Wild" topic:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1653.0

It was purchased from Sebbell, and has been a point of interest in the museum.

I'm just too big for my telephone  ;)

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

HarrySmith

Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

AE_Collector

#71
All 4 phones are in great condition (NOS). They measure 3 3/4" x 4 1/2" along the base and 2" high.The 5th phone in the pictures has slight damage on its underside and is free.

SOLD - $38.00 plus $2.89 shipping for 5 of them! Don't know who got them.

Terry

HarrySmith

I figured they would not last! If I was not on phone restriction I would have picked them up! I hope it was somebody here that got that great deal!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

DavePEI

Yea, I saw them there yesterday morning, and was thinking of getting them for the museum to accompany the lonely AE80 sample, but decided I had spent WAYYYY to much lately on stuff for the museum.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

Gilas

I was lucky enough to grab them. I've just started trying to get a collection of the 500s after my initial question about them and thought it was a good deal on a group. Granted just a couple colors in the group but I can always trade/sell the ones I don't need eventually. Thanks for the heads up Harry!!

Mike