I Bought a Signal Corps Toaster Phone - More Pictures Posted

[LarryInMichigan]

I just bought this: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=180490095041.  I already have an identical spare finger wheel (which came with an odd lot of dial parts I bought a while back) which is in better condition than the one on the phone, but I do not have a center ring for it.  Does anyone know who manufactured the dial and where I could find a center ring?

Thank You

Larry

[foots]

  Nice phone, I have one like it as well. I don't recall the make of the dial as I haven't had mine opened up in several months. I think it may be a Connecticut dial. I lucked up with mine as the center ring is there though I need a new handset cord. Your handset appears to be in really good shape. They tend to damage easily since the they are made of really soft plastic.

  You might be able to find a ring on   http://phonesurplus.com/

[JorgeAmely]

Larry:

Can you take a closeup of the center of the dial with a ruler on it so I can see the separation of the holes where the ring would snap in?

I have some rings that may fit in there that I got in a dial card auction some years ago. I have kept them since I have trying to figure what phone they would fit in. Maybe they just found a new home.

[LarryInMichigan]

Jorge,

Here is a picture of the finger wheel which I have which looks to be the same as what is shown on the phone.  The distance between the outer edges of the two holes is about 1 7/16 inches.  It looks like the center ring is supposed to fit entirely within the inner diameter of the raised circular part of the finger wheel.

I hope that the seller will ship the phone promptly so that it will be here this week.  If this finger wheel will fit the phone, I will use it instead, since it is in better condition.  If I cannot use it for some reason, I will measure the finger wheel which is already on the phone.

Thank You

Larry

[JorgeAmely]

Larry:

This is a closeup picture of the ring.

It is 1/8" wide, and from edge to edge is 1 9/16".

The inside dimension is 1 5/16".  Picture attached.

[LarryInMichigan]

Jorge,

It looks like that ring is correct for this finger wheel.  The outer diameter of the ring should just exactly fit within the inner diameter of the raised circular part in the center of the finger wheel.  The distance between the inner edges of the holes is  1 5/16".  Hopefully, this finger wheel will be correct for the phone.  Now I am even more anxious to get it.

Thank You

Larry

[JorgeAmely]

Larry:

I was in Michigan this past weekend and HAD one of those rings in my pocket. I was in the Detroit area. Where do you live? I guess I will have to mail you one rather than deliver it.

Too bad I missed your phone collection. 

[LarryInMichigan]

Jorge,

I live just a bit north of Detroit.  If you drove on any of the freeways on the north side, you passed right by me.  I guess you will just have to come back here again .  Wait a few days until the phone arrives though.

It might be interesting to show my phones to someone who is really interested in them.  Most people I know don't particularly care.  One of my friends, who always tells me that he has absolutely no interest in old phones, or any antiques for that matter, stopped by here last week to pick up a computer monitor.  When he saw the phones in the living room, he had to walk over and look at them and pick up a handset or two.  I guess that shows that even the most hard-core disinterested people are still affected.

Recently, a friend/neighbor stopped by with his teenage (18 y/o or so) son.  His son was so impressed that he had to call his mother from the AE 1A and also talk to her from the candlestick and the oak wall phone.  I had to explain to him how to hold the candlestick and receiver and talk into the transmitter.  He had no trouble with a rotary dial though.

Larry

[bellsystemproperty]

That's odd. I just bought one too from Ekkehart, the collector who was selling his collection off on Craigslist. The transmitter cap is off a little bit, but I can adjust that easily. The other phone you see is an Egyptian phone that was made by Ericcsson (I think).

[JorgeAmely]

Larry:

The closest I may have been to your place is either the airport or the Henry Ford Museum. That is where I stopped last on my way to the airport. I took lots of pictures of the museum and a REALLY, REALLY nice collection of phones that I saw at the museum.

I will post pictures by the next weekend, as soon as I am done with my taxes.

[LarryInMichigan]

Kyle,

Your Signal Corps phone is probably much older.  The handset certainly is an older style.  It has a Kellogg dial which I don't think I have seen before on one of these.  The Egyptian phone looks like some of the German phones I have seen on ebay.  I would guess that it is either a Ericsson or Siemens model.  It may have been made in Egypt under license.  I have an Israeli-made version of a British GPO 706 phone.  I should probably call the guy in Belmont, CA to see what he has left.


Jorge,

The museum is about 15 minutes from here, but I expect that they have a much better phone collection than I do.


Larry

[foots]

  Kyle, I'd like to see more pictures of that handset if possible.

[bellsystemproperty]

Sorry foots for the slow picture, the camera broke and I can't find the SD card. Don't worry,
I'll find it. It does say Norwalk, Connecticut on it.

[paul-f]

It sounds like the handset was probably made by or for Edwards & Company.  Does it fit properly on the toaster's cradle?

[Jim Stettler]

Paul,
I like the current avatar. Is it a prototype phone? Tell us about it.
Jim