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Size of collection/phones surviving

Started by AL_as_needed, June 03, 2016, 09:57:00 AM

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AL_as_needed

In reading here, many have LOTS of phones.....enough to start their own distribution company if need be. Has anyone ever complied just how many of these phones have survived thanks to collecting? I'm sure it would be a huge task borderline impossible, but we may even one day be able to catalogue them.
TWinbrook7

Dan/Panther

Being that collectors are small in number, and phones were routinely destroyed after service life, I will guess that less than 10% have survived.

Dan

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: Dan/Panther on June 03, 2016, 01:21:35 PM
Being that collectors are small in number, and phones were routinely destroyed after service life, I will guess that less than 10% have survived.

Dan
Even so, 10% of what was produced worldwide is still a pretty incredible number. I would bet several million still exist out there.
Christian Petterson

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

Jim Stettler

In Ron Knappen's Value guide/ Index  (Yellow cover index for the 2 volume spiral bound set). He has a list of "how many exsist". This was in the early days of telephone collecting and his list was a guide for himself. I think his list was more of a scarcity guide for himself. However, it is the earliest list I can think of.

JMO,
Jim S.

BTW: Ron'scrapbooks are hard to read, The secret to reading them is to scan the page and tweak the copy for legibility.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

andre_janew

I've always thought that the older  the phone, the harder  it is to find.  A candlestick phone would be harder to find than a 12 button touch tone phone.  Also, the candlestick phone would be more expensive.

Jim Stettler

Quote from: andre_janew on June 03, 2016, 07:43:35 PM
I've always thought that the older  the phone, the harder  it is to find.  A candlestick phone would be harder to find than a 12 button touch tone phone.  Also, the candlestick phone would be more expensive.

Which  telephone is scarcer,  A strowger 11 digit stick  or a WE rotary trimline in violet plastic?

Jim S.
Hint: I only know of 1 violet set. The handset was owned by 1 collector and the base by another. A 3rd collector ended up buying the 2 pieces to make 1 phone, which sold for $500.00 .
OTOH I have owned 2 strowger 11 digit sticks and have seen over 20 others over the years.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

tallguy58

I'd say 1% have survived. Millions were made.

As an example there are approx. 5 million classic cars around which are immensely more popular than phones. How many cars of all stripes were built in those years?
Cheers........Bill

Doug Rose

Quote from: Jim S. on June 03, 2016, 09:10:00 PM
Which  telephone is scarcer,  A strowger 11 digit stick  or a WE rotary trimline in violet plastic?

Jim S.
Hint: I only know of 1 violet set. The handset was owned by 1 collector and the base by another. A 3rd collector ended up buying the 2 pieces to make 1 phone, which sold for $500.00 .
OTOH I have owned 2 strowger 11 digit sticks and have seen over 20 others over the years.
Jim....no question which one I would chose, if I EVER had the choice.....Doug
Kidphone

andre_janew

As a general rule, older phones are harder to find than the newer ones.  However, as Jim S pointed out, there are exceptions to the rule.