ART DECO, GOD I'm beginning to really hate that phrase!

[BDM]

This is the order I see it...IMHO of course
Example, 1958 phone is art-deco?? Give me a frickin break!
http://cgi.ebay.com/1958-WESTERN-ELECTRIC-C-O-500-ART-DECO-TELEPHONE_W0QQitemZ270280753129QQihZ017QQcategoryZ38038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Most over or improperly used terms
#1 Art-Deco
#2 NOS
#3 Rare
#4 Vintage
#5 L@@K

When I see L@@K, I rarely do. I may miss something, but it's a strong annoyance for me....One last thing, I wish folks would stop calling a 302 a "LUCY PHONE". Someone a few years back used that to sell off several 302s. It worked as it brought in a few more bucks. Now everyone and their brother uses it.......I must be getting cranky as I get older

[Mark Stevens]

This is the order I see it...IMHO of course
Example, 1958 phone is art-deco?? Give me a frickin break!
http://cgi.ebay.com/1958-WESTERN-ELECTRIC-C-O-500-ART-DECO-TELEPHONE_W0QQitemZ270280753129QQihZ017QQcategoryZ38038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Most over or improperly used terms
#1 Art-Deco
#2 NOS
#3 Rare
#4 Vintage
#5 L@@K

When I see L@@K, I rarely do. I may miss something, but it's a strong annoyance for me....One last thing, I wish folks would stop calling a 302 a "LUCY PHONE". Someone a few years back used that to sell off several 302s. It worked as it brought in a few more bucks. Now everyone and their brother uses it.......I must be getting cranky as I get older

I'm with ya brother...I'm grumpy and proud of it!!!  The Lucy Phone thing is particularly annoying.  I'm also mighty tired of the  North Electric Galion being called the "pyramid" phone.  Am I wrong, or isn't the Northern Electric 302 equivalent (whatever it's called) much more pyramid-like in appearance than the Galion? 

[bingster]

One last thing, I wish folks would stop calling a 302 a "LUCY PHONE" ... I must be getting cranky as I get older

If you are, then I must be too.  It drives me just as nuts.   The only thing worse is old radios, as people seem to now be desperate to be the first to coin a new silly name for a given radio.  So you see auctions with phrases like: "I've heard this radio referred to by collectors as the gimcrack whizbang model."  Yeah right.  The only proper course for collectors of anything is to refer to those things by their correct model numbers, and not give in to ridiculous nicknames. 

Don't get me started on the Zenith "Darth Vader."

Am I wrong, or isn't the Northern Electric 302 equivalent (whatever it's called) much more pyramid-like in appearance than the Galion? 

Yep the Northern Electric No. 1 is far more "pyramidical" in shape that the North.  Beautiful phones, both.

[McHeath]

"Art Deco" is used to describe pretty much anything that seems old, has not the usual lines of our time, and is sorta kinda modernish in a post 19th century sorta way.  (Even that's iffy as we've all seen "Art Deco" 19th century stuff)  I could probably label everything from my bathroom doorknob to my doormat Art Deco and get away with it on e-bay, and they are of course nothing of the sort. 

Better is the folks who are simply honest and say they know nothing about the phone, don't know if it works, don't know what model it is, or call it an "F1" or "G1", and have a start bid price of .99 centavos. 

[BDM]

Bingster.....Two words...................ZENITH WALTON .........But, it is what it is....Give it Hollyweed status, and away the price goes. Hey, if I get around to selling off one of my Zenith Trans-Oceanic 8G005Y sets. I'm going to call it "Zenith WHITE HEAT Radio". Since it was used in that movie with James Cagney. They even made a VHF low band transmitter out of it if you remember

[HobieSport]

Art Deco, Vintage, and Rare.  Argh!   Art Deco used to mean something but was always pretty vague.

My other pet peeve, though not phone related, is the much over used terms "green", and "environmentally friendly"  Have you looked under the hood of a Toyota Prious?  Environmentally friendly my eye.  We call them Toyota Pious'.

But hey, maybe the old phones could be called environmentally friendly.  They last forever, don't use batteries, don't waste energy and make the environment look good.

[BDM]

But hey, maybe the old phones could be called environmentally friendly.  They last forever, don't use batteries, don't waste energy and make the environment look good.

Ahhh, good point

[McHeath]

I guess one is being pretty "green" by putting old rotary phones back into service.  Afterall it's either that or the landfill, usually, for them. 

[JimH]

I can't believe you guys left out "EAMES ERA"  UGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I even read one auction list a phone as "Bakelite" and they thought it was called that because it was "baked" when made! I believe the guy that invented it was named Baekeland.  Funny how people assume things....like modular phones they list as being made in the 50s.

[bingster]

Some modular 500s were made in the 1950s (and 1960s).  They were converted to modular later by having the case's cord openings chopped out into square holes and modular jacks were then installed behind the holes.  The handsets were either similarly altered, or just replaced with new ones.  They're an absolute abomination.

But I know what you're talking about.  I've seen auctions that have a photo of the bottom of the phone clearly showing a 1970s date, and the seller will say it's from the '50s, or describe it as an "antique." 

[Dennis Markham]

I wrote a five-part series of postings on my web site about how one might search for phones on eBay.  If you "newbies" are interested in what to look for, take a look.

http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?m=200803

This starts with article #5 so you'll have to back track to start with article #1.

Dennis

[McHeath]

EAMES ERA, I forgot about that one! 

As for stuff from the 70's being "antique", it is to the young among us.  My high school students think the 70's are a zillion years ago and anything from then is viewed as SuperCool.  Even the 80's are now ancient history and they have "80' Dress Up Day" at the schools, where the kids try to look like Duran Duran album covers.  These High School kids were born in the early 90's, President Bush is the only president they have any memories of, and even Sept 11, 2001 is a dim memory for a lot of them.  So to them my rotary phones are amazing artifacts from the distant past, even the ones made in the 80's. 

[BDM]

I agree. My daughters friends come over. All of 8 or 9 years old. They see my old radios & telephones, and just stare at them. Funny, cause usually the big Zenith is playing in the corner. Then the phone rings. Of course the 302 off on the end table has bells that cry mercy when it rings.......

They didn't know what to make of all this at first. I had to explain things to them Now, being in my mid 40s, many of her friends have parents who are 12-14 years younger than me. They were raised on boom boxes and TT phones. Dial phones and vacuum tube radios are unknown to most of them. Many don't even remember when TVs needed time to warm up......Remember that.....lol

[Mark Stevens]

Many don't even remember when TVs needed time to warm up......Remember that.....lol

And don't forget the constant fiddling with the vertical hold! 

[BDM]

Good lord yes! Would drive me nuts as a kid. Try to watch the Three Stooges, and off & away the picture goes......grrrrrrrr! Tell ya what, if you even have a slight understanding how old sets worked. You'd be amazed they worked at all. Very complicated with many checks & balances going on. It's amazing in of itself. Tube radios are far simpler for obvious reasons.