Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Collector's Corner => Large Hoards of Phones => Topic started by: kleenax on February 07, 2018, 09:56:29 AM

Title: Bunch of Phones! . . . from Michigan State University
Post by: kleenax on February 07, 2018, 09:56:29 AM
Since many things have changed here in the last couple of years, I will post these "memorable" finds of mine from the past.

Here is a huge find of phones from Michigan State University that I rescued from the SCRAP PILE!  Yes, they were going to scrap all of them, but allowed me to salvage them. They wanted me to pay $ .50/ea., but I countered with $ .25/ea and got them.  MSU has a "Surplus Store" where they sell literally everything the university no longer has use for. I have seen Electron microscopes, MRI machines, Steinway grand pianos, all forms of vehicles, and once in awhile, PHONES!

I believe I ended up with about 900 phones/with handsets & LONGGGG cords (for students no doubt).  I honestly had ALL sold before I even got home with them, and kept a dozen or so for future projects. The cords were all tangled and stretched, so I sold them to the local metal-recycler for $ .50/pound, and there was literally 345# of them!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SoHYRXij6lTaBo5H2
Title: Re: Bunch of Phones! . . . from Michigan State University
Post by: LarryInMichigan on February 07, 2018, 10:28:38 AM
They probably came out of dorm rooms.  The keypads, ringers, transmitters, and receivers were of some use.

Larry
Title: Re: Bunch of Phones! . . . from Michigan State University
Post by: Dan/Panther on February 07, 2018, 12:02:18 PM
The cords could have been saved.
Just repair them as you needed them.  Replacements are from $2.00 to $7.00, and many will still need some straightening.

D/P
Title: Re: Bunch of Phones! . . . from Michigan State University
Post by: Babybearjs on February 07, 2018, 07:14:33 PM
were they all single line phones? any key phones?
Title: Re: Bunch of Phones! . . . from Michigan State University
Post by: kleenax on February 07, 2018, 08:57:44 PM
All were single-line phones; no key phones.

I only sold the cords for scrap; all of the rest of the phones were sold to a telephone restorer who had literally 100's of NOS color-change kits, complete with new matching handset cords, so we were all happy!  I think I actually got $5.00 each for them as memory recalls, plus the $300 or so I got for scrapping the cords......

When I am restoring phones, I almost never re-use the old cords unless they are nice and cleanable; I have always been lucky enough to have NOS replacements, and still have a large quantity of earlier, hard-wire/round coiled cords in colors.