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How many of you actually use your antique phones?

Started by BDM, September 21, 2008, 04:19:03 PM

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So, how many are actually using their phones?

I have no modern phones
several at any given moment
Maybe one hooked up, when I'm in the mood
Hardly ever. Besides, they scare the kids
Heck no! Are you kidding? Display only!!

LarryInMichigan

Quote from: AE_Collector on January 07, 2013, 07:33:13 PM
I have no idea if the vast majority of my phones work or not. I have an AE 40 & an AE 50 both with full chrome and in service in our house but that is probably it. Oh wait, an AE 43A and an AE 83A hooked up and wall mounted in a now unused room. One of each because at the time we had two phone lines.

I am a hoarder as well with good intentions of woking on them one day but as long as they look half decent I am okay with them as is.

Terry 

Being an engineer, I cannot ignore things that do not work.  Therefore, nearly all of my phones, electric clocks, radios, and fans are at least minimally functional.  Some of my clocks are a bit noisy, and many of my phones (mostly the European ones) have static problems in their transmitters, but they nearly all otherwise work.  I get a bit of perverse satisfaction knowing that I can grab almost anything off of any shelf and use it, give it as a gift, or sell it whenever I wish. 

Larry

southernphoneman

#166
in my house i have 3 phones hooked up(all vintage of course) black 554-kitchen,black 500-bedroom,and black 500-in bedroom number 2  ;)(now refered to as the telephone room) i have one modern uniden which i WILL NOT use unless i have to. two of them are pictured below.

DNO

I'm new to this but I couldn't wait to hook up my recent finds.  I have some modern wireless phones for convenience, when wandering around outside, for example.  But I love the D1 with a 685 subset that I've set up in the front room.  I also use a 1941 302 in the back room.  My wife insists on keeping her always reliable Northern Electric 'Finese' (same as a Trimline) in the bedroom.
David

ItalianAce

I do. One reason is they last lol. I got tired of the Big Lots or Target phones that fall apart after awhile. I did a full restoration a 553A (picture below), and use it as the main phone (has pulse to tone conversion). I never have to worry about batteries going dead, plastic parts faling apart, and cheap circut boards going out. These phones are just simple wires.

If you see these I'd say grab them. The 553A (side tone) or 653A (antisidetone) or 533 (No Dial). They make great usable phones, have everything built into the phone (no subsets needed as its a phone/subset in one) and nice show pieces. They seem to be the "forgotten" phones that go by on ebay or other places unnoticed.

Doug Rose

Quote from: ItalianAce on April 01, 2013, 02:46:38 AM
I do. One reason is they last lol. I got tired of the Big Lots or Target phones that fall apart after awhile. I did a full restoration a 553A (picture below), and use it as the main phone (has pulse to tone conversion). I never have to worry about batteries going dead, plastic parts faling apart, and cheap circut boards going out. These phones are just simple wires.

If you see these I'd say grab them. The 553A (side tone) or 653A (antisidetone) or 533 (No Dial). They make great usable phones, have everything built into the phone (no subsets needed as its a phone/subset in one) and nice show pieces. They seem to be the "forgotten" phones that go by on ebay or other places unnoticed.
Outstanding!!! Great refurb....such a beautiful phone....Doug
Kidphone

ItalianAce

Hehe. Thanks. Took me three months because it was one of those "garbage peel" finds. Strangly the paper diagram and #2 dial was extermally mint (but internally off tune) inside but everything else was blah. Every wire had to be respaded (or missing), paint was gone to almost the copper coating, the 144 receiver had more dirt on it than a playpen etc. Im fanatical about original or nothing. Anyhow...I see these come up restored or not restored on ebay for cheap. I guess people pass them by or dont know about them or just dont like them. I see them as the wall candlestick lol. 553A/653A. But their like iron horses of phones with it all built into one unit. They'll last you decades easily. Take out the original trans component, and hotwire in a F1/T1 into the 323(BW) (or just put in a bulldog) and you have perfection even in sound. Far better than most of the crap out there today sold in Walmart Hehe.

Ace K.


poplar1

#171
This style wall phone was made until at least 1944, so it was not only the companion for the candlseticks but also for the 202 and the early 302. The latest ones had the same B1A ringer, 101A induction coil, 5H dial, F-1 transmitter and HA-1 receiver as the 302.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

ItalianAce

#172
Quote from: poplar1 on April 01, 2013, 04:05:21 PM
This style wall phone was made until at least 1944, so it was not only the companion for the candlseticks but also for the 202 and the early 302. The latest ones had the same B1A ringer, 101A induction coil, 5H dial, F-1 transmitter and HA-1 receiver as the 302.

Right right. The 653A (or a 553A converted too a 653A) is the antisidetone model with the 101A, 4H/5H, and Bulldog receiver. I know with the 553A there was the one with "Western Electric" and "Made In USA" stamped into the metal, and than other with the same decal what looked to be painted into the front top face of the phone. Most dont come with the added "Apartment Wood Board". These make good steady phones especially with a clean working dial. That is if you can stand up long enough and feel fine talking into a spitcup transmitter hehe. The 533A is the same as the 553A but the no dial (no dial plate) version. I recall about two years back someone listing one on ebay listed it simply as "Wall Version Of Candlestick Telephone" lol.


southernphoneman

Quote from: ItalianAce on April 01, 2013, 02:46:38 AM
I do. One reason is they last lol. I got tired of the Big Lots or Target phones that fall apart after awhile. I did a full restoration a 553A (picture below), and use it as the main phone (has pulse to tone conversion). I never have to worry about batteries going dead, plastic parts faling apart, and cheap circut boards going out. These phones are just simple wires.

If you see these I'd say grab them. The 553A (side tone) or 653A (antisidetone) or 533 (No Dial). They make great usable phones, have everything built into the phone (no subsets needed as its a phone/subset in one) and nice show pieces. They seem to be the "forgotten" phones that go by on ebay or other places unnoticed.
now that is one cool phone!

Doug Rose

Quote from: ItalianAce on April 01, 2013, 02:52:52 PM
Hehe. Thanks. Took me three months because it was one of those "garbage peel" finds. Strangly the paper diagram and #2 dial was extermally mint (but internally off tune)
Ace K.


Ace.....what did you do with the #2 dial that was "but internally off tune"? Steve Hilsz is great at fixing them for $6 plus postage. Still a beautiful phone...great job...Doug
Kidphone

ItalianAce

It wouldn't dial out as it should; I had it pulsed 10 by an AT&T employee (that I know). I cleaned out all the dirt and dead bugs (yeah dead bugs lol) but had him set the pulse. Bell System put some pretty good protective coating and paints on their equipment because even after 70 years of life its still holding up paint wise. I was just thinking the other day how many phones, dials, etc went in the trash by people not knowing or caring about their late value. Espcially after the Bell break up or back in the early 1990s or so.

True story...not made up. On one of my yardsale 302 finds last year when I called the operator (0) and told her I was checking my rotary dial she said "Whats a rotary dial?" Young girl though that I guess was the one that sends out techs when phone lines aren't working right. Funny but sad at the same time lol.

Ace K.

Western Electric

I have 5 phones 4 work
2 500s
1 ae 80
1 ae 192
1 ae 40
we don't have a landline we just have cells  >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
so I am making my own exchange
I am only 12
but my own house will have rotary phones
BELL SYSTEM PROPERTY
         NOT FOR SALE
       Western Electric

GusHerb

I know I must've posted in this thread some time ago, and I don't feel like skimming the whole thread to find what I've posted hahahaha.

As of current I've got 8 of my less-then-perfect-cosmetic-condition phones spread around the house for actual use. All ringers are disabled except the one in the 1937 302, which sets on a phone bench in the dining room, it has the most pleasant ring IMO.

The kitchen has a red 1980 Northern Telecom 500, with a modern Panasonic cordless phone beside on the counter for caller ID purposes.

In the family room are two black WE 500's on either end of the room on end tables, and sitting beside one of them is the home base/answering machine along with another Panasonic cordless handset. Neither are all matching-dates phones, both have metal dials.

In the basement is a 1972 or 4 Ivory colored WE 500.  Up in my bedroom I have a beige 1954 WE 500 (has been refurbished, plastic dial and much newer housing) Sitting beside it is another Panasonic cordless phone.

and last but not least in my office are a white 1974 round button Trimline, and a white square button 1979 Trimline. The former is connected to the second (VOIP) line, the latter the main (AT&T) line.

The two office phones are mostly used when I'm on the phone wringing good deals out of the phone/cable company or trying to get things fixed, so I need touchtone functionality for that.
I'll also admit, I probably use the cordless phones alot more then some on here but I am quite mobile when I'm on the phone alot of the time. That's why I picked out Panasonic, they seem to make the best cordless phone (no scratchy or buzzy background noises, just clear sound)

The rest of my phones are either on display or safely tucked away! I'm afraid to count how many I've got, but I know it's upwards of 80. It's absolutely amazing I managed to stop hoarding them.  :D Instead of collecting more I decided over the past two years to give them better wiring to operate on so I instead rewired all the phone wiring in the house and have been tinkering with that stuff.
Jonathan

southernphoneman

Quote from: Nilsog on August 09, 2011, 11:14:22 PM
I have 3 hooked up in my 'man cave', a 302, a 554, and the big emergency phone I bolted to the wall. I have my red 500 from the fire dept in the living room and the black 500 chuck sent me on my night stand. We have some crappy Chinese thing in the kitchen until I get a wall phone that's not 'puke green', as my fiancee calls it. She wants a blue 554, specifically.
thank god for the man cave.

Greg G.

#179
Three in the living room, and although they fully function and technically useable, they're not work-horses:

Living room:

1930 WE Hotel phone

AE 40

WE D1 1937

Two in the bedroom, matching green 500s.  1 is WE, the other S/C.  Plugged in and function, but not work-horses.  Ringers were disabled per Anita's request.

The only vintage work-horse, my daily driver, right now is a 302.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
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