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Helo From Alabama

Started by Zunazet, March 14, 2018, 03:40:54 PM

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Zunazet


Well, Hello.


My name is Dave. I'm 50 going on 90. It is amazing how much one can age in 10 years.
The aches, pains and injuries are awe inspiring! LoL
I work in the cable (TV) industry. ( I'm sorry your service sucks. Mine is awesome. Yours would be too If I worked on it but I don't work for that company  :P [size=78%] )[/size]


My interest in old phones was sparked around 1984 when my family visited the Grand Canyon. The old motel we stayed at had a room phone with no dial. It was so strange, the shape, the weight, and colored in a black so dark it was like looking into a void. Unlike any phone I had ever seen before. It still looked new. My mom was not impressed. She hated those "old ugly black phones." Turns out it was a 302 with an F1. I never forgot it but I did not get the collecting bug until about 10 years ago when I started visiting antique and junk stores. Still couldn't bear to fork out forty five bucks for some old and probably broken piece of obsolete electronics. (That one was a D1 with an E1).  Finally I gave in about five years ago when I found a 5302 at a tourist trap antiques shop in Tennessee while visiting an Amish community. I talked the lady down from 45 to 35 and still felt like I paid too much. I still had no idea on value, and it just wasn't quite what I was looking for. I had no idea what it was or what I was looking for, but I was happy I had an old phone and it even worked! I researched it on line and finally started to get some knowledge in my head. Not much, but a little.


Fast forward to about a year ago: Bored one day and noticing  the 5302 on my desk I decided to look for old phones on eBay. Well did that ever open a can of worms in my checking account. Everything I ever wanted and so much I did not know I wanted. I had to have it all. Website after website about old phones, auction after auction taking my money.


So, now I have an idea for what things sell for and what is a good buy and when to say goodbye. At least according to today's market. Now I know which phones are which, what their names are, which ones are priceless, and which are common. I have travelled hours to look at junk and to gamble on buying things I was not sure had value. So far I have been lucky. When I guessed I guessed well and broke even or profited by selling the phones and parts that did not interest me while keeping what did.


Today I have a nice little collection in a display case and more in boxes to be or in the progress of being restored. I find the chase is exciting, but restoration is my pleasurable pastime. To see a phone moved from the trash pile to the treasure chest is most satisfying.






RB

Hello, and welcome!
Restoring is my thing also.
just feels good to see grey dust covering replaced by shiny finish!

jsowers

Quote from: Zunazet on March 14, 2018, 03:40:54 PM
Fast forward to about a year ago: Bored one day and noticing  the 5302 on my desk I decided to look for old phones on eBay. Well did that ever open a can of worms in my checking account. Everything I ever wanted and so much I did not know I wanted. I had to have it all. Website after website about old phones, auction after auction taking my money.

Hello to you too, Dave! The paragraph above says a whole lot. Isn't eBay amazing? It's both a marketplace and an education and then there's the internet to research what you see and this Forum has a wealth of information by itself. And yes, your checking account can take a hit from eBay shopping. It sounds like you already know about Phoneitis.

I too remember phones from motel rooms. Only a few were ever Western Electric and most were some off-brand. My Uncle Don, who worked for Southern Bell, would always check the phone in the motel room to see if it was Western Electric the very first thing, according to my aunt. He designed phone systems back in the day and probably some for motels and hotels too. I got to see all the latest phones installed at his house and could only wish for them at home. Now those wishes have been fulfilled.

My cable TV service is awesome after I switched from Time-Warner/Spectrum to a local cable company run by my telco. They pay a lot more attention to detail. I get more mail from Spectrum now than when I was their customer. At least one mailing a week with some offer and it goes straight to the trash.

Please post a picture of your display case. We always like seeing collections here.
Jonathan

HarrySmith

Welcome to the asylum, Dave! You are definetly infected with Phoneitis. It sounds like you had a slow progression as you managed to stay away for a while after the fist purchase but then it hit! You are in the right place, we are all sufferers. We love pictures! Please post some of your collection.

I know what you are talking about with aging. Once I got over 50 it was down hill, now I am over 60 and it is not getting better. Every morning when I get up I find something new that hurts, "what is that and why is it hurting" is a daily mantra! I keep saying if I knew how much pain I would be in now I would have been nicer to my body when I was younger. I doubt it though, it would not have been nearly as much fun!

Dave's not here, Man!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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