Dialess Metal 302 dated 1938

[MagicMo]

I wanted to know some info about this phone. Why no dial? Was this an extension phone?
Thanks
Mo

[LarryInMichigan]

The phone was probably used for manual service where an operator would answer when the handset was lifted and place the call.

Larry

[MagicMo]

Thanks Larry, It's going on Ebay tonight.
Mo

[G-Man]

They were used when automatic dial service was not available or used behind a pbx switchboard.

1.   Hotel room
2.   Extension in a business office
3.   Shop telephone so employees could not dial long distance calls but still receive
                incoming calls
4.   Lobby courtesy telephone
5.   Manual switchboard service in a small town not served by an automatic dial system

It was not used on a manual system; note the number is formatted for a dial exchange so it could have been used for one of the other above purposes. Most likely a business judging from the desirable number that was assigned. It would be interesting to do a search to see if the hotel or business is still active.

[G-Man]

In 1986 (312) 664-4440 was assigned to the Marriott Hotel, Chicago 

I don't have time to search further but it would be interesting to see if Marriott bought an older hotel with that telephone number.

[LarryInMichigan]

I doubt that it was in a hotel room or lobby with that card because there is no room or extension number printed on it.  It would be interesting to figure out where it was in 1938.

Larry

[MagicMo]

I would love to find out myself, but I wouldn't have the slightest idea how to find out!
Thanks
Mo

[Phonesrfun]

If you could find out where the Mowhawk 4 exchange was located, you would have a head start.  If this was ond of your dad's collections, then it most likely came from somewhere in that area.  By checking on the Exchange Name Project, and looking up the exchange name, you could at least get that far.  The format of the two letter name, followed by a digit, followed by the dash and four more digits was a number format that mostly began in the US after WW II.  For instance, where I lived as a kid, our phone number went to that format in 1957.  Usually automatic (dial) exchanges were converted over to that format, which to me, suggests a business or hotel, but hey, there were so many variations, that nobody can say for sure unless they were there.

The harder part would be to match up that number to an individual or a business.  If you knew where and when and had a reverse phone directory, you would be in business.

I once got a switchboard that has a dial on the console with a number.  I could tell from the number designations above the jacks that the switchboard came from a bank.  There were extensions labeled Teller 1, Teller 2, Vault, and even the president's name, etc.  Someone told me it originally came from Yakima, WA.

So, one day I drove to Yakima and went to the library, and got a phone directory from the approximate time period.  The switchboard had date codes of 1961 inside.  I got a phone book from 1961 and looked up banks in the yellow pages.  Bingo, I found the bank with the number that is on the dial of my switchboard.  Turns out the switchboard was installed in a brand new building for the bank in early 1962, and there were even newspaper articles back then of the new building and a ribbon cutting ceremony presided over by the mayor of Yakima, and the president of the bank whose name is on the desi strip above the jack of his old extension.  Almost like doing genealogy, only for a phone system. 

[poplar1]

http://forgottenchicago.com/articles/old-telephone-numbers/

See last photo at bottom left of the link above: it shows a MOhawk 4- number. MOhawk 4-xxxx may have been MOHawk xxxx in the period 1921-1948 in Chicago.  In 1948, the 3 letters were changed to 2 letters + the number represented by the third letter (CALumet > CAlumet 5- > CA 5- > 225- ). This allowed additional combinations to be used. Eventually, all letters were dropped to give a possibility then of 640 "NNX" prefixes (NNX where N=2 through 8 and X= 1 thru 0).

If you are lucky enough to find a U.S. number card with a central office name with 3 capitalized letters, then it came from Chicago, Boston or New York. Only in Boston, New York and Chicago one dialed 3 letters + 4 numbers.

[MagicMo]

I will have to do some investigating! Sounds fun.
Mo

[TelePlay]

So, you going to keep the phone until you determine who owned it? Or give up looking?

[MagicMo]

So, you going to keep the phone until you determine who owned it? Or give up looking?

I am going to try to find out first. It's worth a shot.
Thanks
Mo

[Doug Rose]

Mo...did you unscrew the caps to see if the dates match. The paint look amazing, I thought it was thermoplastic. What is the eBay number?....Doug

[MagicMo]

Mo...did you unscrew the caps to see if the dates match. The paint look amazing, I thought it was thermoplastic. What is the eBay number?....Doug

I cannot get them to open. Too tight! I'm going to have the hubby try tonight, not on Ebay yet.
Dingy question...How do I know for sure it's metal besides that fact it is super heavy compared to the Bakelite and there is some removal of paint on the top where the handset goes.
Thanks,
Mo

[Phonesrfun]

Is there a date on the inside lip of the housing?  If before WW II, then most likely metal.  Does it sound like metal when tapped?  The metal cover over the capacitor is the early design which would have a metal housing, otherwise thermoplastic.  302 housings were never made from Bakelite.  Only the handsets were Bakelite.