First phone is a factory refurbished 12 button black Trimline with round buttons that I found in a local antique store this past week for a total sale price of $14.72.
Seems the handset was refurbished, equipped with a standard modular plug adapter and metal number plate in 1982. The base was refurbished, according to the stamp on the bottom of the base, in 1983.
The plastics were dirty and showed some wear but the base, inside and out, was extremely clean. The photo of the base below is as found. I did not have to do any cleaning at all. A few minor surface imperfections were taken out with 2000 grit wet sandpaper and the plastics then buffed up nicely with Novus 2. It turned out to look quite nice, be it just another Trimline.
I've always loved Trimlines...ever since my mom saw an ad in the paper for the new Trimline touch-tone telephones. It was 1973 (I was eight) and she ordered three to replace our old 500s. We got a red one for the kitchen, a black one for dad's den, and a green one for my parent's bedroom. All round buttons and lighted dials! I know they'd been out for several years, but I thought they were the coolest thing I'd ever seen, and I was hooked!
Jim
Nice photos!
Ken
Quote from: Kenton K on December 16, 2014, 06:41:19 PM
Nice photos!
Ken
Thanks! Was quite happy with the photos as well being it was a shiny black phone. Used one of those Polaroid light tents (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=8999.msg96332#msg96332) that DavePEI mentioned a year or two ago. It's a bit small but provide nice indirect light. I have it surrounded by 5 100 watt Edison light bulbs to adequately illuminate the object inside. The Edison's give off a near full natural light spectrum.
I believe 83293 is the manufacture date (293rd day of 1983), not a refurb date. Note that the base can be used for either a CS223A (LED rotary) or CS2223A (LED Touch-Tone). The 623T jack has only 2 wires (red and green), so this base would normally not be used with a round button handset, since a transformer is needed for the lamp.