A space-saver... wait a Space Maker - I just bought on Ebay. :)

[shortrackskater]

I just bought this on eBay for $45. It was put up as a buy-it-now or best offer, for $49 and I thought that was already a good price.
It was advertised as an AE and I think it is. I'm new to these. I'll wire it up and plug it in when I get home. The dial is smooth. I can't tell if the handset is original but the paint seems to be close... receiver and transmitter caps are off yellow and the handset is "more yellow." That might just be normal discoloration.

[HarrySmith]

Nice! It is an AE and the name is actually correct, the Spacesaver name belonged to AE. It is hard to tell from the pictures but the color appears original. One more good thing is the AE does not need a subset, it contains a network but there is no ringer. Good buy!

[jsowers]

That looks to be an ivory AE 183 SpaceMaker and the price was pretty good. The SpaceSaver was more a WE invention and AE used "maker" so as not to infringe on copyrights most likely. It could have discoloration very easily from UV exposure or smoking. Older AE plastics are rarely found without discoloration of some sort. You could have paint, but more likely it's just colored plastic.

From the repair date on the back you can tell it's older than January, 1968 because that's when the sticker went on it. Unlike the WE version of this phone, the AE SpaceMaker has its own network inside, so it can hook directly to the phone line with no subset required. As Harry said, it doesn't have a ringer, so you need to get an extension ringer if you want it to ring.

The dial on these phones is designed to swivel around to adapt to its location. It's a very mid-century modern design too. If you ever watch Driving Miss Daisy, you'll see one in Dan Aykroyd and Patti LuPone's kitchen. It's a yellow one. See the picture below. It's just to the right of Dan Aykroyd. The kitchen is supposed to be circa 1953 and I don't think the phones were manufactured until about 1957, so it's wrong for 1953, but they got away with it.

I posted a scan to a brochure I have on the AE SpaceMaker in this thread. AE spelled it Space-Maker.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=18819.msg193677#msg193677

[shortrackskater]

Thanks everyone. This is great to know. Another interesting thing is it's got the 213 area code, which used to be all of Los Angeles. I live in Orange County, just an hour south so this phone probably hasn't gone too far in its life.
I wired it up and it works great!
Cleaned it a little with some Novus plastic polish. Here's the "after" shot.

[AL_as_needed]

Nice catch!Similar idea as the WE trimline in a way, just the network was still a bit too large to make the squeeze. Also, jsowers; quite the picture they used for their sales media. No idea how they made all the food and kept the kitchen spotless at the same time... oh wait, must have called in a catering place on their space-maker.

[shortrackskater]

Thanks AL

For anyone... on my second picture, there's a sticker saying it was repaired in 1968. Just above that appears to be a date code, partly covered.
Is it? Looks like 1968 to me but not sure.

[AE_Collector]

The code half under the sticker looks like 8 66 12 to me which is August 1966. The 12 is not part of the date.

Terry

[shortrackskater]

Thanks AE!
I actually meant to say 66. I think I'm developing a condition in my brain, possibly the "pre-senior" moment condition. 
I loosened the Philips head screw below the dial head and swiveled it to the left, and the switch hook just slightly left so I've got a custom functional fit.

[AE_Collector]

One of my favourite phones of the Space Age!

Well done Automatic Electric!

Terry

[shortrackskater]

Looking at this phone reminds me of going to Disneyland when I was little and being in awe of all the cool futuristic stuff in the Tomorrowland area. This phone would have fit right in! I remember using those cool "new" touch tone phones and calling home. If I remember correctly, they had touch tone units with speaker phones built in.
I like yesterdays future much more than the "future" we have today. Things didn't quite work out they way they thought.
Where's those flying cars?