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Gray Telephone Photos

Started by paul-f, September 03, 2010, 11:24:28 AM

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Doug Rose

Paul...that has to be one of the coolest phones I have ever seen. I have NEVER seen anything like it! Amazing!!!...Doug
Kidphone

HarrySmith

I agree. Amazing! Where do you find these things? What is with the light bulb on the side?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

paul-f

Doug:  This phone has been on the site for several years now and I've had it on display at several shows.  You should stop by some time.   ;)

Harry:  It's not what you know but WHO you know!  The "lightbulb" is actually a metal knob.  My theory is that it's there to hook your thumb around so you can push the card carrier into the reader with just your right hand -- without having the set slide across the table.

BTW, it took several years after getting the equipment to find any references to it in any Bell System literature.  I have an article that describes the gear at the receiving end of the data line, which will make a nice addition to the page -- when I can find time to add it.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Dave F

Quote from: paul-f on September 26, 2010, 06:38:22 PM
And now for something totally different...

This is a Dataphone keyset with card reader.

There's some background along with photos of other gray Dataphone devices and a gray rotary keyset card dialer here:
  http://www.paul-f.com/wexdp.html

Yup Paul, this one's a dandy!

paul-f

You need to use your imagination with this one.   

Imagine this gray phone is mounted inside the top left drawer in a large executive desk in a large paneled corner office on the top floor of a busy office building.  The executive can normally have a nice clean disk without having his (in the early '60s -- now his/her) important visitors distracted by flashing line lamps or other distractions.  "Out of sight, out of mind."

When needed, the phone can easily be accessed by simply pulling the drawer open.

That reminds me... I really need to move my "office" from the basement to an upstairs bedroom, panel it and get that larger desk I've always wanted.  I think the phone deserves to be displayed in the proper surroundings.

OK.  Back to the real world.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Russ Kirk

Quote from: paul-f on September 30, 2010, 12:38:25 PM

Imagine this gray phone is mounted inside the top left drawer in a large executive desk in a large paneled corner office on the top floor of a busy office building.  The executive can normally have a nice clean disk without having his (in the early '60s -- now his/her) important visitors distracted by flashing line lamps or other distractions.  "Out of sight, out of mind."


Are these desk drawer sets custom built? 

Russ...
- Russ Kirk
ATCA & TCI

paul-f

There were several batches made for field trials in the 1960s.  I don't believe they ever made it into the catalog, but finished off their lives in lobby and trade show displays.

   http://www.paul-f.com/weproto.html#DeskDrawer
   http://www.paul-f.com/exdisp.html
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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Phonesrfun

LBJ had a couple in the White House, but that goes to figure.  to LBJ, having telephones everywhere, and having a bigger Call Director on his desk than a secretary was also one of his power symbols.
-Bill G

Adam

That's a great picture, Bill!

I have a whole web page full of phones in the White House.

http://www.manufacturediscontinued.com/exhibits/telephones/presidential-telephones-of-the-united-states.html

This page also includes two pictures of a different drawer phone.

It's part of my fledgling telephone site called Manufacture Discontinued.  It's not phones in my collection, just phones I think are really cool.  I hope to be adding more exhibits to the page soon.

-Dave Haber
Manufacture Discontinued www.manufacturediscontinued.com
C*NET 1-798-7619
Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

JorgeAmely

Bill:

The cameras with the old style flash bulbs look very nice.
Jorge

baldopeacock

Here are my recently acquired gray phones:  3/59 light gray, and 12/55 Oxford Gray with straight handset cord.  Crappy photo, my apologies.   There isn't enough daylight at either end of my work day.




HarrySmith

Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

JorgeAmely

#117
BDP:

The long lost brother of your phone (11/55) is here. What's interesting is that they are only a month apart, yet the older phone has a more modern cord. Interesting phone trivia  ...
Jorge

Dennis Markham

BDP, nice phones!  That Oxford Gray is awesome!

Jorge, yours ain't bad either!

baldopeacock

The photo doesn't do the phone justice.   Other than having some yellowing, just a good polishing would bring back.   Suggestions on any minimally-invasive ways of removing the yellowing are really welcome.   I may need to lightly wet-sand the plastic but I sure don't want to overdo it, and end up doing more harm than good.   

The paint on the bottom is quite good, just a little oxidized.   There's a visible mark on the bottom where it's apparently sat on the cord for an extended time, but I'm sure that will polish out.   The feet are the nicest unrestored-condition I've ever seen on a phone this age, amazingly clean.   Wherever this phone lived, I don't think it saw much use.

When I have some time on Saturday, I'll get some better pics inside and out.   It's clean inside, just a little dusty, and the bells need to be polished.   Compressed air, a soft brush and some metal polish on the bells should be all it needs inside.   

I do feel pretty lucky to come across this one.   When I bought it I knew it was at least uncommon enough to be worth having.   Comments from several of you suggest that it's more than I thought.