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Hideous Telephones

Started by Stephen Furley, August 04, 2009, 05:42:30 PM

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bingster

It's a Thunderbird.  I'm not sure of the year, but it's a squarebird, so it's 1958, '59 or '60.
= DARRIN =



bellsystemproperty

#91
I think the fake French style phones are pretty hideous. I saw one for sale today (in a store) and it was the first time I had actually felt repelled by a phone. Normally the phone would be like gravity and draw me near to examine it, but not this one. The handset is so impractical, it's not nearly as comfortable as the wonderful G handset. I guess the same could be said for the donut phone though.
Here's one that looks similar.

http://tinyurl.com/ykq6qml ( dead link 02-20-21 )

Phonesrfun

That e-bay auction called it an old Gaudy phone.  I call them an old lady phone in honor of my grandmother (now departed).  It is kind of interesting.  My grandmother was a switcboard operator from the time she was a teen-ager and went to work at the phone company her dad owned in a rural town in Utah.

I have a picture of her from 1926 as a switchboard operator during the first trans-Atlantic phone call from Portland, Oregon to London, England.  I posted that picture here a while back.

When I was Kyle's age, she was the lead PBX operator at the very large PBX for the Oregon Capitol building in Salem, Or, before they went to Centrex.  I went to work with her one day, and got to see it in action, as well as all the switches that supported that PBX in the basement.  I even got to see the jack on the switchboard that was for the Governor, Mark Hatfield at the time.

When she retired, she just had to have one of those "Old Lady" "French" phones.  She used it until she died.  A few years ago, my mom, who knows of my habitual compulsive telephone disorder, decided that I should have it.  So, now I own one of these gems, in honor of my grandma.

Tom:

My grandpa knew better than to keep my grandma off the phone.  It served two purposes.  First, it didn't matter.  She had all the telephone resources of the entire State of Oregon at her fingertips.  She used to call my mom every day during her lunch hour from Salem to Portland and talk the entire lunch hour.... for free.  Second, I think my grandpa knew that for every minute she was on the phone was a minute that he could do what he wanted and avoid the "Honey-do" list.  In fact, it is a well known family fact that my grandpa could really hear pretty well, even though he wore hearing aids.  He would always "conveniently" misplace the hearing aids, or they always used to have dead batteries just at the moment my grandma wanted something done.  Oh well.  We all play the games from time to time....

-Bill Geurts
-Bill G

Greg G.

Quote from: Phonesrfun on December 30, 2009, 09:52:08 PM

When she retired, she just had to have one of those "Old Lady" "French" phones.  She used it until she died.  A few years ago, my mom, who knows of my habitual compulsive telephone disorder, decided that I should have it.  So, now I own one of these gems, in honor of my grandma.

Tom:

-Bill Geurts

But was it an actual antique, or one of those repros?
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Phonesrfun

-Bill G

HobieSport

Bill, thank you for writing about the fun family stories about your Grandmother and her work at the phone company, and the subtly amusing story about your Grandfather and his "convenient" hearing loss. I love family stories/memories like that.

As for the "gaudy French phone repros", I have to agree with "bellsystemproperty" that I also find them repellent, or more accurately, simply impractical and somehow sadly pretentious in their design. Like poor folks attempting to feel like they are "rich and elegant", when really it's just plain tacky. But I can also see the fun in it, and can imagine Bill's Grandmother looking truly elegant while using a phone like that.
-Matt

AET

A lady told me yesterday at work that she has two "gold and beige phones with handsets that rest in cradles" I am assuming that this is what she is talking about.  She offered them to me, and I really don't know what I'd do with them as I don't care for them.
- Tom

Jester

I'm sure some of you find these hideous, but this Noteworthy phone has actually made life a little easier in the Jester household.  My wife wanted to declutter the spot under the wall phone in the diningroom, so I started looking for one of these.  I found this one in ash on ebay in unused condition.  It's been moderately customized--I changed the moulding around the "message center" and added a dry erase panel where the chalk/bulletin board went.  The original board was a bulky "frameless" corkboard with a big tacky clock in the upper righthand corner.  This board is also magnetic & came with two Lucite encapsulated magnets to use as "tacks".  There is also a handy magnet in the marker cap.  I also didn't like the "tink tink tink" made by the steel gonged ringer, so I switched it with a VERY early trimline P type with the brass gong & clapper.  The other benefits of this design are the handy phonebook nook & the small shelf on top.  And the nicest feature--you can use the phone while the microwave is on without disturbing the radio frequency of the handset! ;)
Stephen

bellsystemproperty

Bill you're grandpa sounded like a very funny guy. Jester, I don't like the Trimline that much, but if the Noteworth came with a G handset and had the dial on the phone I'd definitely get one. The Trimline handset is uncomfortable for me.

LarryInMichigan

Tom,

At least some of those phones contain 3" dials which will fit into just about any antique phone.  Also, many contain WE networks and ringers.  So, even if the phone itself is a gaudy piece of junk, there are useful parts inside.  You could probably use a dial from one for your new Leich phone.  It wouldn't be quite authentic, but it could be made to work. 

Larry

AET

I thought of that too.  The leich however is going to stay authentic.  I didn't have a blank dial phone in my collection, so it kinda sets things off.  It gets the most questions.  I guess it depends on how much she wants for them.  I could use one for an example and sell the other one too.
- Tom

bingster

You should ask for details, because "gold and beige phones with handsets that rest in cradles" also describes the WE Imperial!
= DARRIN =



AET

That was of course the first phone to cross my mind when she said it (which, ironically is sitting in pieces in front of me right now) but with my luck, they are frenchie phones.
- Tom

HobieSport

#103
...and a WE Imperial is certainly not hideous!

It's cool to hear that you have an Imperial that you're working on right now, Tom.
-Matt

LarryInMichigan

Tom,

I thought that you meant that she was willing to give them to you for free.  You should first try to find out what they really are.  Most people haven't a clue about phones.  I was speaking with my mother today while she is in a friend's condo in FL, and for a moment, the phone there had a problem.  When I asked her what kind of phone it was, she replied "I don't know, its a desk phone".  When I asked her what the model or manufacturer was, she didn't have a clue.  So your coworker might actually have something valuable without knowing it.

Even if her phones are junk, if they include decent parts, they may be worth a new dollars.  You never know when a dial, network, ringer, transmitter, etc. might be needed.

Larry