Every once and awhile I come across a picture of an ole timey phone sign in one of theose RPPC postcards. Sice these cards are usually unique or very limited, I think we should try to start an archive.
(https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-aTINc7oMLv8/VCSjqlWzhVI/AAAAAAAAbmk/Rhofbg_iRec/w473-h369-no/NET%26T%2Binspectors%2B1898%2BWorcester.jpg)
N.E.T.&T Inspectors, Worceter, MA 1898
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-WV6OAlZIoO0/VCSc8dkpzjI/AAAAAAAAbl0/xEmHq11zYrc/w500-h375-no/%24_12%2B%281%29.jpg)
Street scene Bristol RI. note the Wooden framed Bell
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-fFPIXE9kUnQ/VCSg8-2gEJI/AAAAAAAAbmY/hbdmjQKYDPs/w600-h418-no/Hayseeds-with-95-Bell-Flange.jpg)
A happy scene with a 1895 pattern "Local and Long Distance Telephone " flange. The bell appears to be a variation from the more common type. Probably a small rural exchange, note the ladder propped up on the side of the building. Possibly Campbellsville, KY
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_-6JcjBzcf4/VCSdEecyrsI/AAAAAAAAbjc/3lZmzeWWfi0/w887-h545-no/%24_57%2B%2822%29.JPG)
Here is one from Virginia City, NV with a couple of nice old signs
(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z0KVSWC8paY/VCSc-5tBSOI/AAAAAAAAbiQ/921QTYYqL3Y/w865-h545-no/%24_57%2B%2810%29.JPG)
Here's one that is too big to hide behind the pole!!!
These were culled from eBay:
Antique 1910 Bell Telephone Sign Dog Yawning Girl Bows Hair RPPC Photo Postcard (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-1910-Bell-Telephone-Sign-Dog-Yawning-Girl-Bows-Hair-RPPC-Photo-Postcard-/141402522606?pt=Postcards_US&hash=item20ec3f43ee)
I love that Virginia City card. My eyes kept going to the beautiful cars!
Here's the same street scene on a different card. You can still see the Bell sign and a better view of the arrow "telephone" sign.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/171468640193 (http://www.ebay.com/itm/171468640193)
Cheyenne WY Home Ranch Motel. Two signs. One on motel roof above booth and one on pole to the right.
Telephone sign along highway. Great Falls Montana-1941 This has been on eBay for a while. The seller sells reprints. This photo was taken by Marion Post Wolcott who worked for the US Farm Security Administration during the Great Depression documenting poverty and deprivation. Take a look at her pictures and her story at:
http://tinyurl.com/kmvhgjt
Quote
The one at the Jack Frost Motel appears to be a General Systems (GTE) sign. I wonder if the Jack Frost is still there?
Still there but a different name. Booth is long gone.
Color photos metro NYC 1960s The diner is not in color so not part of the NYC photos.Shot in N PA
rdelius, Great photos! Notice that the picture with the globe that to the right is a flange button style Coke sign and on the right is a Borden's flange sign.
Quote from: rdelius on September 27, 2014, 10:20:58 AM
Color photos metro NYC 1960s
The Red Rose Diner is not in NYC. It's located at 526 Main St, Towanda, PA. And it's for sale! The real estate photo shows that the '39 Bell sign is still in place.
http://tinyurl.com/outmqnw
In going through the real estate photos of the Red Rose Diner there was a picture of this paystation inside the diner..
Pretty lady & 16x16" '39 Bell sign.
I'd like to have this one. 1939 Cortland New York
I'm on a roll! 2 L&LD signs. Waldoboro ME
Large round '21 Bell sign. Note the CONNECTIONS marking.
KINGFIELD ME
Here's a nice one:
Quote from: Sargeguy on October 14, 2014, 11:14:33 AM
Here's a nice one:
This must have been the true origin of the radio telephone...
Service delivered at your residence.
Is it me, or does that sign looked like it's photoshopped on that wagon? ???
I actually Photoshopped the sign, increasing the contrast so it would look a little sharper, the rest of the photo was left as is
Old 1908 pattern N.E.T.&T sign
Here are some pictures of signs I took today on my lunch hour
WOW! That Camel (cigarettes) sign is in good shape.
This one is by Ansel Adams!
Thom's baby picture:
Quote from: Sargeguy on March 25, 2015, 07:11:44 PM
Thom's baby picture:
That was probably your baby picture!
Trust me, that wasn't an age joke! :o
Interesting magazine covers! I guess that was 2 years before LIFE redesigned their cover (in 1936).
I bought this with a Best Offer (for a lot less than the asking price). The sign looks like an early die-cut sign but it could also be cardboard. Here is a scan of the card:
Here's a bunch of old pictures of signs/globes that I found.
Some more shots
A couple more
Great pictures of Canadian signs. Thanks for sharing.
Here is a 1937 telephone truck from the "West Coast Telephone Co." which was active in the Tampa Fla. area.
Quote from: rdelius on September 27, 2014, 10:20:58 AM
Color photos metro NYC 1960s The diner is not in color so not part of the NYC photos.Shot in N PA
This is the Red Rose Diner in Towanda PA. Their Facebook page is located at:
https://www.facebook.com/Red-Rose-Diner-503003913116395/
where recent photos show that the 1939 Bell sign is still there. Love how it states over the door: LADIES INVITED.
I come across this picture while looking for some advertising for a project I'm working on.
Notice the Bell Canada sign in the top left corner.
Here is one of some kids with a hubcap sign in the back ground:
Another kid, this time with a L&LD sign. It looks like it has a company name at the top
At least we know the wagon's name.
Here is one taken down the street from where I grew up, a 1908 Bell System sign. Interestingly, they used an AT&T pattern sign, and did not use the N.E.T.T. signage yet.
Here is an old NETT HQ sign:
Another old L&LD sign, from Chesterfield, MA 1906
An old RPPC that I cleaned up with Photoshop:
Wilton, NY
Snoqualmie Pass, WA Early 1960's
NET&T sign from Vermont
Here is a nice example of the very hard to find "Long Distance"-only sign
Season's Greetings: Bell system signs converted to birdhouses and arranged as a Christmas Tree...
Interesting. Appear to be '21 Bells. I wonder what the bells were originally? Or are they home made? Don't think they are porcelain as I see no chipping around the hole. Notice some bells have no perch in front of the hole and others don't seem to have house behind the hole. The missing houses are best seen on the bottom left.
They look to be all wood. Did they ever make wooden signs like that? Or did they take a cue from Burma Shave and Rock City?
They look like a hybrid design, they have the shape of an earlier L&LD Bell but say "Bell System" like a 23'. I have seen "Bell System" on bells on floats and such that seem to pre-date 1923 so these may have been decorative, or serves some other function.
One theory is that the Bell System made bird houses as a form of advertisement at one time.
Quote from: andre_janew on December 21, 2016, 12:32:02 PM
One theory is that the Bell System made bird houses as a form of advertisement at one time.
It's probably because they thought it to be cool to deliver telegrams by avian carriers.
Quote from: andre_janew on December 21, 2016, 12:32:02 PM
One theory is that the Bell System made bird houses as a form of advertisement at one time.
They could of been a telephone pioneer's fundraiser.
Jim S.
Phone booth with 39 Bell sign on tree. Notice the restaurant sign with the two Coca Cola button signs.
Either that's a post card or you passed through some sort of time warp today Tom!
Looks like an open wire pole line running down the extreme left side along the road.
What does the "TV" sign on the sign with the "Motel" sign by the road say below TV? Looks like ABC, as in the network?
Terry
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 28, 2017, 09:49:53 PM
Either that's a post card or you passed through some sort of time warp today Tom!
Looks like an open wire poll line running down the extreme left side along the road.
What does the "TV" sign on the signing the "Motel" sign By the road say below TV? Looks like ABC, as in the network?
Terry
You are correct. It was a time warp.
Does seem to say ABC
The time wrap before the booth. Notice the shadows of the wires on the ground in both pictures.
How cool is that! Notice the Coke signs aren't there yet.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/117h6ByzlGJULLKTLKk7ZrD6VYnbTCnQxXvluRx1GCIdjVl0TnRxIwRdftOPv-feexFIIYd0s2XMP4ZaPOHWRIl2S3WNODsQln83IqvyxzZS8UX1xt47mowW6XdtTUp8wS2OUNjqeSsJIl1OLYs3aY8bT5j8pEyKMEVADxumysXnhpUTJ4A0fFj3ZdmCkrsuWnIit4f6VafsmB7aFe1wuF2_CmhYDI6UOeXaqel3SsCGoiJih71buQUUhsw6t4SGeBwycGkaLOPBoKtYkUkNFAWCXTZYDzP0L4GWi-b4tpjVPDDIDLE49HOXEn0cQl4aJNrEKYHdh_LSewiA9DV3Khuo9QsVGTMGJixuU3ySbtiYg4ydg3jGKCwN3Yf0doG4g8OZGN42uzrHx_CcxqbcR9DEHGHVQ7qCiPrtq2iz666DfQ9FCj4h7exdVrEDmM_DCgTCkZi5HGHqaP3GyOTZBCCln7nehVX1C9uVUcaAuPTVXjTF0FNfaTwqyS2a5gUV60qnPsMrpza7LxuC1Kn-_qWBi5lUDtk9cWLhslOdXeh80tFIPBurEeckidAWfhtImrfzsOmjFx0t4ALpl3sttKJXFj046MT9ifJLyzE5yoSFUq4yjrKOSg=w697-h656-no)
Mountain States '21 Bells from Wellington CO
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/LLCn3iDS6glhx7CxUhY1ZhXabIL0qNEsKFH5oG7CZDYMt26d3JygeDVN0G1dTV67LRsXyvpqelxhGNmCgKqH9G_Wm9yNT5umOha-yRmKN40Oo0LBHJLnhkifCeifS87tjbdC6DBQ3L1DHKMPbX_E8EvzZhSrJ24oYT8BHccgkvYWEInkyEKPKdbw4zSrrzjw_1F1c5xp5R3MqnLqAB0ujLytEFSLUfI2rDjstAV4X6kld6mdsgkZeHItWw5f-3X7ipRY7RV0LEDE5C68PxP2VJfNamvjr0WkDBooSWCfxonFt-Sg7cI881qPbDAaLB_nxkvTwqJXw74h1AFrBso2izwnLgUcHcSeVNYt5taaVR2PQKdgWovlOjVppyqiOBpESdKxuHvKOSooCW3ZrFwzaDblA_D9cBhLL00LhEeYmb60XdQ5AVIIJ6ZgLoeSRYls_Kd6iS5XQDJOPe9j76wSNSmIBcOsSzdGP77L46PiVuJdH5LYOOKffZJgupBvapVyAk2Ed6H-cM0d3uZI5nOpCQtbhZP8KNeGHoP3PNEiM2ATJljkeEfeOn7FWaf7L2qjohJCzwMQnWzzZsQlE01BpUR2eq2VjZjfzuGsql1eMRY7eaDNSvdNnA=w864-h583-no)
Mountain States '21 Bells from Gilchrist CO
Here is a picture of the original sign:
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bWB68ytmdDE/VfTVWIpFEiI/AAAAAAAAcLk/GXROR3mRHTA/s912-Ic42/%252524_57%252520%25252855%252529.JPG)
Quote from: AE_Collector on February 28, 2017, 09:49:53 PM
Either that's a post card or you passed through some sort of time warp today Tom!
Looks like an open wire pole line running down the extreme left side along the road.
What does the "TV" sign on the signing the "Motel" sign By the road say below TV? Looks like ABC, as in the network?
Terry
I notice there is also a Sealtest ice cream sign attached to the motel sign.
Two nice signs. The '21 Bell sign has the earlier wide white boarder. I can make out:
....ern Bell Telephone Company. Probably Southwestern Bell Telephone, maybe Northwestern Bell.
Notice in the upper right a sign with a car and the only word that can be seen is TRAIL. There is also a sign in the upper right corner
The couple have bare skin touching each other at their elbows, so a married couple? Notice the cigarette in her hand.
https://tinyurl.com/ybrffh8z
I'd wager the partially obscured sign is for a bus company. Probably a stop.
A couple more. The one from Vermont sems to be an N.E.T.&T. Co. sign with the name of the smaller telco underneath. The one from Iowa has a L&LD Bell as well as an Independent sign!
A couple more. The bottom one is odd. I don't know of any flat L&LD signs with a thick blue border. There are a couple flanged "Pay Station" types with the thick blue border. This sign is most likely in a wooden frams.
Another one from Iowa
Mighty pleasant pictures to see.
Was it common to hang signs up that high on telephone poles? I do not recall seeing that belfore.
Some folks like it that way.
Quote from: HarrySmith on December 11, 2017, 02:01:11 PM
Was it common to hang signs up that high on telephone poles? I do not recall seeing that belfore.
Makes it harder to throw rocks at them!!!
Quote from: Sargeguy on December 11, 2017, 07:25:29 PM
Makes it harder to throw rocks at them!!!
And it's also more difficult to steal them!
You have firsthand knowledge of that one, don't you Greg? ;D
Quote from: Sargeguy on December 09, 2017, 09:49:55 AM
The one from Vermont seems to be an N.E.T.&T. Co. sign with the name of the smaller telco underneath.
A little research may find what that company's name in Newbury Vermont was.
Sea View Railroad Depot, Warwick, RI circa 1900
East Tilton, NH
Queens, NY- 1940's
I like that design. I'll bet at that time it was seen as innovative and ultra modern! Very sleek!
Benny
Here is a fifties era version
one for you sargeguy............old postcard from virginia city, nevada -
Sorry david@london but I can't award you any points, we already covered this sign from a different angle on page 1 of this thread!
Quote from: Sargeguy on April 09, 2018, 10:15:45 AM
Sorry david@london but I can't award you any points,
Give him 1 point. His photo shows best the L&LD sign om the wall.
In David's angle I can see 4 phone signs. The first angle only shows 1 1/2.
Location unknown
I've seen one today, it's not old, it is definitly "original" We visited tadaya valet mountain cabin (google translate)
The sign is lokated at the only spot nerby where your sellphone get in contact with the network. ;D
About 25 kilometers to nearest building connected to the grid.
dsk
Los Angeles
That photo is interesting on so many levels.....The telephone booth & sign is just the icing on the top!
First time I looked at the picture I missed the two signs on the phone booth.
Quote from: Fabius on June 29, 2018, 09:01:53 PM
First time I looked at the picture I missed the two signs on the phone booth.
Me too until you posted it.
Not a photo but close. One in a series of postcards post 1908 put out by AT&T. This one shows phone booths in a train station.
I love that card, one of my favorites, A guy waiting for a woman to finish talking on the phone? Grandma leeting the kid use the phone? My how things have changed!
For TCI members - a full set of the AT&T cards is available for downloading in the bonus section of a past TCI newsletter.
Chuck
There are two versions of the set, one is marked "AT&T" on the back and the other is "NET&T"
Quote from: Sargeguy on July 03, 2018, 10:16:43 AM
There are two versions of the set, one is marked "AT&T" on the back and the other is "NET&T"
I'm watching for the NET&T ones but no luck.
Quote from: Sargeguy on July 02, 2018, 08:51:56 PM
A guy waiting for a woman to finish talking on the phone?
Yes. That railroad station where those booths were had been boarded up for years. Recently they get into the station for the first time in many years. They found the woman still talking on the phone and a man's skeleton on the ground outside the booth.
I was looking on YouTube and found a group of sets of images from "Yesterday Today". they appear to be postcard quality images that look to be old Kodachromes. There were a number in the groups from the '40's and '50's that had a number of old phone signs in view. I thought I'd pass it on in the event anyone was interested in looking.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ECFH3Pe21oQ
Found this on FB. Looks to be a Telephone sign on far right on top edge of the door.
Where The Oregon Convention Center sits today. Dean Hanson's Soda shop, a locksmith and barber.
Quote from: Duffy on October 23, 2018, 07:08:57 AM
Found this on FB. Looks to be a Telephone sign on far right on top edge of the door.
Where The Oregon Convention Center sits today. Dean Hanson's Soda shop, a locksmith and barber.
Yes, looks like a telephone sign. Love those Coca cola signs. There appears to be a fire alarm box to the left of the bench.
Quote from: Duffy on October 23, 2018, 07:08:57 AM
Found this on FB. Looks to be a Telephone sign on far right on top edge of the door.
Where The Oregon Convention Center sits today. Dean Hanson's Soda shop, a locksmith and barber.
Regular Member Post (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=20151.msg206412#msg206412)
Why is the man standing straight on to the camera holding a sign that says 125? Maybe an index number to that days photo log? If so, there are 124 other photos in which he appears, if not more.
~
Good catch, John....
Can't believe I didn't notice that!
Probably doing some sort of survey, like tax assessing. Notice he appears to have a black bar in front of his eyes.
No information on this picture.
Sign on right side along edge of window on building.
^^^^^
February 1940. "Auto transport passing through Eufaula, Oklahoma."
http://www.shorpy.com/node/14036?size=_original#caption
Regular Member Post (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=20151.msg206412#msg206412)
Quote from: ReneRondeau on January 11, 2019, 04:12:37 PM
February 1940. "Auto transport passing through Eufaula, Oklahoma."
Thanks for the link and in its uncropped photo, we can see what's playing at the local theater . . . in 1940, and see a better image of the sign.
Interesting, that is an uncommon sign type. What make and model are the cars? I see "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" is playing, so 1939?
Those look to be 1940 Buicks. With the model year beginning around September of 1939. It would be just a bit later.
Probably 1940. The Hunchback Of Notre Dame was released on December 29. 1939.
The caption dates it to February 1940. ;)
What struck me about the photo is all the cars look the same.
And Donald Duck gets billing on the outside of the theatre (billing - pun not intended ;D)
I believe Walt Disney released his cartoons through RKO and The movie was also RKO. Disney cartoons got respect. ;D
The telephone sign appears to have a rounded top. Southwestern Bell used such a type for their office signs.
Here is an old L&LD from Chepachet, RI. The store is till in business but the sign is long gone. Is that car a Frayer-Muller Model B???
Found on line.
Notice that there are two Telegraph signs in this picture. Can you spot the other?
Regular Member Post (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=20151.msg206412#msg206412)
Quote from: Duffy on January 28, 2019, 06:36:55 AM
Notice that there are two Telegraph signs in this picture. Can you spot the other?
No, but the car tags show this was taken in Idaho in 1941 and the "6R" indicates the cars were registered in "Twin Falls" County, a southern county on the border with either Nevada and/or Utah.
So, where is the second sign?
Quote from: Duffy on January 28, 2019, 06:36:55 AM
...Notice that there are two Telegraph signs in this picture. Can you spot the other?
Nope, can't see it :-[ but I admit to being rubbish at spotting stuff in photos. You guys notice things I never do. :)
Again, one thing I do notice are lots of almost identical cars. All very neatly parked up too. I really like the split screen models.
I love these old pics.
I can see it peeking up above the line of car hoods. Was it a parking space reserver turned to the side?
Quote from: 19and41 on January 28, 2019, 08:29:12 AM
I can see it peeking up above the line of car hoods. Was it a parking space reserver turned to the side?
You got it, good eye.
Thanks, great picture.
From shorpy.com:
QuoteSeptember 1941. "Tunbridge, Vermont -- the main street." Medium format negative by Jack Delano for the Farm Security Administration.
Click to enlarge to full-size for a great view of the business office sign.
There's even a place that accepts credit cards!
Portsmouth NH
Kansas City
Gardiner, Montana
Interesting four sided bell sign. Looks like a L&LD but it doesn't match. Maybe it says Bell Telephone Company?
Found on eBay.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/162952030804
If the picture was taken in 1943 and from the condition of the house and open wire lines that pay station has been out of service for a while.
Bronze telephone building sign.
USO Telephone center in South Dakota. Patches that I can see on two of the soldiers indicate they are with the Army Air Corp (later in the war it was the Army Air Forces). Notice the sailor on the left. I wonder what he was doing in South Dakota.
New England T&T Central Office. Sign is pretty hard to find today.
Building was razed in the 1960s
Late 1950s
Nice photos.
Looks like the elusive "Long Distance" sign
Several gas station signs - file name states best known information about each image
I've seen a few of these signs that were original. Seen a million or so of the fakes. But this is the first time I've seen an old photo showing one in service. It's on the far right.
A few more, some newer.
Last set.
After spending a few hours searching the internet, it seems that the "period" of these now antique and collectible signs was before color film was invented.
There was color film, but it was more expensive and could only be processed by mail order. My mother was quite the photographer and took color slides in the late '40s and '50s and '60s.
Quote from: 19and41 on March 29, 2019, 01:35:02 PM
There was color film, but it was more expensive and could only be processed by mail order. My mother was quite the photographer and took color slides in the late '40s and '50s and '60s.
Maybe then it was that those who took the snap shots in which vintage signs appear could not afford to do color. I stopped looking at anything color, they never have vintage signs. And, by the time color became affordable, the telephone signs were mostly gone. After looking at thousands of photos, I began to see a relationship between B&W and color, date the photo was taken and the availability of phone service at that time (none, some, everywhere).
There are a number of period slide show videos on You Tube of color scenes from the '30s and '40s. A good black and white picture is a pleasant sight as well. Keep posting them all.
Getting hard to find new ones. Here are 3 more.
Another 6 I stumbled upon.
New search-bot turned up more signs and phone booths.
Found a vault stuffed full of thousands of Kodachrome images. I didn't get through all of them but did get 24 so far, most in color, which are attached here and in 3 more replies. Most are Bell signs, a few phone booths. I found it interesting in that looking at B&W or color photos, the bell signs stood out like a sore thumb. WE did a fine job at designing a sign that was easy to spot int he clutter of all the other signs and stuff around it. No other sign comes close to looking like a WE phone sign.
Yes, Kodachrome slide did produce very good images and all of these images date from late 40s to early 60s.
Second set of 6 of 24.
Third set of 6 of 24.
Fourth set of 6 of 24.
I have one to share with you:
This photo was taken, at best guess, around 1970-ish. This is in my hometown (and still my current location), Oakfield, Wisconsin. This is the old fire department building on North Main Street, and to the left is the old phone booth complete with the large lighted sign it had at the time. We had General Telephone/GTE, but IIRC the blue diamond-shaped sign simply read "PUBLIC TELEPHONE BOOTH". (I have seen lighted "General System" signs online, but they are round.) The phone booth is actually situated in front of the old telephone company building next door to the left (out of the picture), which at the time of the photo housed a barber shop. The firehouse has since been replaced with a much larger and spacious village hall/firehouse/public library complex. The phone booth, I am told, was taken out by a drunk driver sometime in the 1980's.
Last set from the vault, 4 more and that's it.
Quote from: KaiserFrazer67 on April 02, 2019, 12:23:47 AM
I have one to share with you:
This photo was taken, at best guess, around 1970-ish. This is in my hometown (and still my current location), Oakfield, Wisconsin. This is the old fire department building on North Main Street, and to the left is the old phone booth complete with the large lighted sign it had at the time. We had General Telephone/GTE, but IIRC the blue diamond-shaped sign simply read "PUBLIC TELEPHONE BOOTH". (I have seen lighted "General System" signs online, but they are round.) The phone booth is actually situated in front of the old telephone company building next door to the left (out of the picture), which at the time of the photo housed a barber shop. The firehouse has since been replaced with a much larger and spacious village hall/firehouse/public library complex. The phone booth, I am told, was taken out by a drunk driver sometime in the 1980's.
I remember those diamond shaped phone booth signs as being only on booths in GTE country. The region I grew up in had a patchwork of telephone companies covering various areas.
One other note, There were 2 color processes, dye transfer (Kodachrome) and image reversal (Ektachrome) Time has been vicious to Ektachrome type images, Having what is known as "red shift" where the image fades to red before dissapearing completely. This is one reason so few prints and their negatives from that period survive. You can see this effect in some filmed images from the early '60s on YouTube.
Great photo posted on Shorpy.com today: LINK (https://www.shorpy.com/node/24526?size=_original#caption).
Image from above link.
'Circa 1909. Central Station, Saranac Lake, Adirondack Mountains, N.Y.'
A few more. The first image attached (click to enlarge it) shows the store front IS the telephone sign. 1899 Los Angeles, Sunset Telephone Company. 50 cents a minute to call San Francisco. The only inflation calculators I found only go back to 1913. Using 1913, 50 cents a minute then would be $12.90 today.
This one's pretty bizarre.
Gee, it's Vannevar Bush and Ben Franklin!
Strange place for a telephone sign? And does the sign seem small?
It seems to be mounted pretty low.
It might be the 11" version
Washington, DC 1939:
The other signs are interesting too. The 69 cent box of cigars amounts to $12.69 in 2019 dollars.
Actually, I think that box of cigars would be more than $12.69. The tobacco taxes are a lot higher than they were back then!
I'll work out the inflation, you work out the taxes. :D
Quote from: ReneRondeau on May 15, 2019, 08:16:11 PM
Washington, DC 1939:
Another strange place for a telephone sign. Low and mounted on a vent.
This might not qualify as old enough, but I was driving my wife home from a doctor's appointment in downtown Seattle, and I noticed that there is still a Bell System logo on the top of the 1600 7th Ave. Building. Century Link still has some offices in the building, along with many other businesses. I thought that US West stopped using that logo after divestiture in 1984. I was just surprised that it is still up there after all these years. I was driving, so I wasn't able to take a picture, so here is one from Wikipedia:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1600_Seventh_Avenue
This is like, can you guess where it is?
Actually fun..
3rd Ave, Seattle, WA - 1934
Now that's hard to find..
Nice to look for in such a nice picture!
That's a great photo. I know where that is. Unfortunately, the telephone and the Western Union signs are gone. But, surprisingly, most of the buildings are still there.
Not an old photo but I did spot one in Leno's garage!
Reedsville, WV, 1935.
Full-size here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/25027?size=_original#caption
Thanks! I'd been missing these pictures.
Fort Hunter, New York
!950's magazine ad.
"Buy a Slug"? Anyone see that before?
(Full-size uncropped photo available here (https://www.shorpy.com/node/25070?size=_original#caption).)
Was that a prohibition era picture? Buy a slug of hootch over the phone? :D
Quote from: 19and41 on October 05, 2019, 06:22:45 PM
Was that a prohibition era picture? Buy a slug of hootch over the phone?
"The tokens were sold by the location the phone was in and they would work in that location's phone. Back in the day they were used to prevent the use of slugs and or slot machine tokens in them. They were either the Goetz or Y.S.& S. Co on them. They were used mostly in the Chicago area used from 1912 to 1944. The grooved type was next and finally the center hole type with scalloped edge. The brass $0.05 ones are the most common. Most are brass. The numbers can either denote the phone or the store. Goetz was the founder and owner of the company that produced them."
Quote from: ReneRondeau on September 02, 2019, 05:57:16 PM
Reedsville, WV, 1935.
Full-size here: https://www.shorpy.com/node/25027?size=_original#caption
A lot of great advertising. Postal Telegraph sign, gas pump globes and more.
I have seen independent ones, but I can't recall seeing a Bell System version of the "Buy a Slug" sign. This looks like it might be a decal.
Nowadays, we'd call them tokens. We may not have pay phones anymore, but there are car washes that use tokens.
Main Street
Bolivar, NY.
The Bell Telephone Company of Canada Sign - Quebec
That Bolivar NY sign is interesting. I've never seen the like, thought it resembles a "Public Station" sign. Looks like it says "Telephone Pay Station". Looks like it has an iron frame and is hanging from a bracket.
My wife's mother in front of her brother's diner, Collingswood NJ.
Scott K.
NY 1950s.
2 I found on Facebook
Thanks for the Pictures, I've been missing them.
Found another one.
Nice Ford Too!
This is my hometown original. Bank was downstairs and the central office and operators were upstairs. I'd love to have that flange on the side.
Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph
Quote from: Scott on February 25, 2020, 08:26:53 PM
My wife's mother in front of her brother's diner, Collingswood NJ.
Scott K.
RIP Irene Anderson
Bet that place looked nice at night with the neon and the glass block.
Found a few more on Facebook.
Found on eBay, a little bit of everything.
A few more, all telephone related . . .
Thanks!
Couple more photos.
Clarkson General Store, Clarkson Road looking South, c1900 Clarkson Ontario Canada
Webber Grocery Store, Port Credit, Ontario, Canada 1945
Couple more from Facebook, one has a globe.
And another.
Some of these are like playing a game: Find The Hidden Telephone Sign!
As in picture #2.
Indeed, but that's what makes it fun!!
More from Facebook
Great pictures! All the old pics I find are bereft of telephone signage.
And another.
Candy and telephones
Lakewood Park, Iowa.
British Edward VII pillar box with sign ....
Two French Cafés, window indicates public telephone within.
Quote from: HarrySmith on July 03, 2020, 05:02:41 PM
Some of these are like playing a game: Find The Hidden Telephone Sign!
I enjoy this thread. I skip it until I am ready to "see" the moment.
I typically look at photos like I do real time, a momentary snapshot of time/life.
Over time I have learned that photos are a "lasting" moment of time.
It is like sitting and staring at the scene, vs seeing it while passing by.
When you stare at a scene you see a lot of interesting things.
Photos remind me to slow down and see the flowers.
I shouldn't be in a hurry, I should be in the moment.
A picture (photo) paints a thousand words.
JMO,
Jim S.
The Alabama song "I'm in a Hurry" also reminds me to slow down
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0EOVKUo-QM
This video reminds me how silly the American "hurry complex" is.
Few more, Parisian Cafés (third image, signage just visible on door)...
Not a sign, but it's a phone.
Post card is date 1918. Sign on the pole and building down the street. Granville Telephone Company, in Salem, NY
Quote from: Whitcrane76 on July 28, 2020, 09:38:16 PM
Not a sign, but it's a phone.
Why would that phone be mounted so high up on the wall?
It looks high enough for an adult, as opposed to the child in the picture, with the mouthpiece at standing level.
Quote from: HarrySmith on August 12, 2020, 07:00:01 AM
Why would that phone be mounted so high up on the wall?
About 52" from floor line to bottom of telephone.
I was looking at the ceiling and the upper cabinets. Must be very low ceiling!
I don't see the ceiling in the picture. That lamp's top is cut off above the cabinet and the molding above the window is above the dark to light border on the wall. They must've had a cruel installer to mount the phone so high no one could've got to the transmitter.
The child is shabbily dressed so it seems strange they could afford a telephone. What I thought was the ceiling is apparently just a different color on the wall. More questions.
I don't see an attribution to the photo but it looks in the style of either the WPA or TVA photography projects.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Art_Project
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farm_Security_Administration
Paris. Circa 1949.
Thanks for sharing!
11th and Lewis in Tulsa.
Rural Georgia Telephone Office.
Ottawa Ont.
The Dam Club! 4247 Highway 53 Orr, Minnesota
Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario 1950
Bell globe.
C 1950. Michigan.
You folks ought to be working in aerial reconnaissance image interpretation. :D Great pics!
July 1927 Welland, Ontario
1927 Thorold, Ontario
1950's Houston, Texas
Dakotah Hotel. N.D.
West Minot. M.E.
Ben Lomond, California
~
I love that picture!
The old cars....
The James Dean looking character on the motorcycle...
The theater boasting the "hardest seats on earth"!
Oh, and there appears to be a hubcap phone sign, too!
Classic slice of history!
Thanks for sharing.
Two more...
Jay's Garage?
It's not a sign, but there is a phone in this picture. Good luck.
Really? Where, under the table, or along the back just out of the shot..
Here's one. Piggly Wiggly.
Seed and Feed
Sun Coffee Shop
Quote from: Key2871 on November 26, 2020, 05:05:13 PM
Really? Where, under the table, or along the back just out of the shot..
It's 100% in the picture. I got mad and thought it wasn't in there until I found it. I will give a hint. It's not an antique phone.
Maybe???
Drug stores.
Quote from: Duffy on November 26, 2020, 06:16:31 PM
Maybe???
No sir.
Times up. It's an iPhone laying beside the right table leg. Black case with white flowers. Look for the camera lens.
Quote from: Whitcrane76 on November 26, 2020, 04:36:57 PM
It's not a sign, but there is a phone in this picture...
Fun game but unfortunately wrong thread for it. :(
But here is an old sign which is an easy spot. :)
Quote from: Whitcrane76 on November 27, 2020, 12:15:29 AM
No sir.
Times up. It's an iPhone laying beside the right table leg. Black case with white flowers. Look for the camera lens.
I agree with CJ, wrong thread for something like this. Should be in off topic.
The closest to an old phone in that picture is what is circled which could resemble an old desk phone.
Anyone in these forums would expecting an old phone not something that new.
It's a great puzzle if you had a description of what kind of phone you were looking for. Maybe you should have said find the iPhone!
:)
Addison Tie & Timber Co. 1939.
—-
The George Hotel, South Woodford, Essex, c1930...
The corner of 62nd Street and 1st Avenue in New York City, 1938
:)
Would love some backstory on this one.
Quote from: Whitcrane76 on December 21, 2020, 11:29:35 PM
Would love some backstory on this one.
Fuller Building, completed in 1902. Photo circa 1904. Tours were operated from the building (office space). 'Electric' vehicles were in use earlier than we may think.
That aside, I give in, where is the telephone sign in the picture?
:-\
The electric technology was ahead of gas engines in the early days, at least reliability wise. None other than F. Porsche designed an electric vehicle in his early career, but soon added a gas engine to help with the short range.
The inscription on the bus mentions a telephone connection, which is not specified?
"Flatiron" still is a nickname of the Fuller building, it even has a German Wikipedia article :-)
The picture might be added to Wikipedia, depending on copyright issues. Thanks for showing the picture here, it made me rethink the context of mobility and city life.
That aside, I give in, where is the telephone sign in the picture?
:-\
[/quote]
It's on the bus.
Quote from: countryman on December 22, 2020, 07:22:07 AM
The electric technology was ahead of gas engines in the early days, at least reliability wise. None other than F. Porsche designed an electric vehicle in his early career, but soon added a gas engine to help with the short range.
The inscription on the bus mentions a telephone connection, which is not specified?
"Flatiron" still is a nickname of the Fuller building, it even has a German Wikipedia article :-)
The picture might be added to Wikipedia, depending on copyright issues. Thanks for showing the picture here, it made me rethink the context of mobility and city life.
Glad somebody appreciates it, here lately all I get is comments that make me wonder if I really am a member of this forum.
I appreciate each and every picture added to this thread, though I don't always comment just for it's own sake. I've looked myself for such related pictures and they continue to elude me. That makes me appreciate the effort all the more.
To bring it back to phones, the inscription on the bus reads "Seeing New York - Starts From Flat Iron Building - Telephone Connection.
What would the last info -telephone connection- mean without a number provided? I suppose there were already a lot of telephones in NY, and more than 1 operator of sightseeing tours.
This building was a recent topic of conversation here, and a little study, hence why I have the expanded version (below) of the photo in question.
I answered the query nicely and have no interest in taking part in any bickering - it's meant to be fun and all that - but after scouring the photo could see no sign.
I take the writing on the side of the bus to indicate the company was contactable via a [new fangled] 'telephone connection'. Why no number, I couldn't say. Maybe their marketing boys didn't quite think it through, early days after all... ::) :)
Quote from: countryman on December 22, 2020, 10:18:40 AM
To bring it back to phones, the inscription on the bus reads "Seeing New York - Starts From Flat Iron Building - Telephone Connection.
What would the last info -telephone connection- mean without a number provided? I suppose there were already a lot of telephones in NY, and more than 1 operator of sightseeing tours.
At that early date, the operator could direct the call based on the business name and location, as many calls were done through the services of the operator anyway.
~
Love those old "tour buses"....
Johnson City, Tennessee.
:)
Oxborough, United Kingdom.
I added this sign to my collection recently, because I grew up in Orange County, CA. Can anyone tell me about Orange County Telephone? I know it wasn't in California.
ADavid
Screenshot from Roger Corman's It Conquered the World (1956).
Caution: contains images of a sinister cucumber-like creature from Venus.
https://archive.org/details/HowItConqueredTheWorld
Taunton, UK.
(You'll need to click to see this one).
:)
:o
1929
Good photo Duffy. That would be a great sign for the collection, a nice focal point.
A couple here shown atop their booths.
Quote from: FABphones on January 18, 2021, 08:20:21 AM
A couple here shown atop their booths.
I have a round one on the wall in the phone room.
Quote from: Duffy on January 18, 2021, 08:33:43 AM
I have a round one on the wall in the phone room.
In the US that logo was used on Bell booths that were adjacent to Independent telephone companies.
At least in the SW Bell area.
Jim
Quote from: FABphones on January 18, 2021, 08:20:21 AM
Good photo Duffy. That would be a great sign for the collection, a nice focal point.
A couple here shown atop their booths.
I remember seeing the square signs on red booths in GTE country. northern Indiana and southern Michigan had a patchwork of telephone companies.
Vicksburg, MS
National Guardsman in front of smashed windows (hurricane damage). Newton Corner, Mass, business office.
Wonder if that was the '38 hurricane?
Sounds about right.
You are correct guys. September 21, 1938.
This one should go into the Trucks thread, but as there is just about only the sign left, I'll pop it here too.
Sunderland, Mass.
Poor 'ol thing was a year old.
Early sepia photo.
St Austell, Cornwall, England. C. 1922.
I give up. Where is the phone sign?
Quote from: HarrySmith on May 18, 2021, 08:08:06 AM
I give up. Where is the phone sign?
It is a tricky find. Left side of photo.
AHA! Thanks for pointing that out, I never would have found it!
I thought this was a very interesting photo added earlier by Whitcrane because I think it's one of the early Indian Motorcycles that Western Electric sold to Telco companies for phone servicemen to use. They sold a one cycle and a two cycle if I remember correctly. They appear in one of the WE early catalogs.
Épicerie. France.
Newport, R.I.
Park Hotel.
Gateway Hotel.
Unknown.
UK (ceramic insulators also shown).
Dresden Mills, ME.
C 1910.
Drive up booth.
Posted on Shorpy.com.
September 1941. "Telephone sign along highway. Judith Basin, Great Falls, Montana." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration.
(Click to enlarge.)
Quote from: ReneRondeau on July 27, 2021, 05:41:05 PM
Posted on Shorpy.com.
September 1941. "Telephone sign along highway. Judith Basin, Great Falls, Montana." Acetate negative by Marion Post Wolcott for the Farm Security Administration.
(Click to enlarge.)
Rene....that is one cool picture! ...thanks for posting....Doug
Yes, I agree very cool. A long way to a phone in those days..
That must've been quite a job, wandering the country looking for subjects.
Sudbury, England, early 1900's.
Westminster, London, England. 1920's.
Royal Mail Parcel Coach, London, England, C 1900. Sacks marked 'Windsor Coach'. Note the pistol tucked into belt holster.
Capel Celyn, UK.
Main St, Laurens, NY.
Railroad Station, Russell, MA.
St Marys, railroad station
'Corning'
Disneyland. 1960's.
The good old days when a benevolent monopoly had a bright future. :D
Love these signs, and the cars in them!
Mike
This sign larger than most of it's style.
Unknown location, c 1920s.
Bell Building Sign.
North Platte, NE (1942). From shorpy.com.
Providence Telephone Co, 1906. I had my doubts that this is Prov Tel Co. since there is no Bridge St building in Providence but the guy who donated it to the Providence Pioneer Chapter is in the picture so...
:)
CJ...love that Glass Bell Systems Globe. Beautiful!!....Doug
Glynde, U.K.
Chepstow, U.K.
Seems like only yesterday signs and cars like these were everywhere. Now it is nothing but Datsuns and Toyotas.
Mike
Alfriston, UK
Brent Knoll, UK
Caution.
New York Telephone Co.
Bell Canada.
Fitchburg, MASS.
Wheaton Inn, Norton MASS
Antioch, CA
Western Mass, 1920s.
Marshall Street/Creek Square (Boston Stone)
Baroda, 1909
Was in Deep River NC gone now
Quote from: rdelius on September 30, 2022, 02:13:56 PMWas in Deep River NC gone now
Are they both gone? Did the company remove them or did some unknown collector take them?
Do not know . This was Heins telephone ,Sanford NC. I think the restuarant closed and they were removed. There was also a Bell Systems connections sign near downtown and it is also gone
Pinnix New Bern NC (gone)
Mendocino Hotel, Ca ...
Public Telephone Building
Fort George G Meade, Maryland
Mostly around NYC
State Highway Hwy 42 (corner) in downtown Fish Creek, Wisconsin 12-11-22
Quote from: TelePlay on December 12, 2022, 07:00:30 PMState Highway Hwy 42 (corner) in downtown Fish Creek, Wisconsin 12-11-22
Wow a sign is still there. Wonder if any (and which model) phone is there.
It was purchased by the store owner, a collector of nostalgic memorabilia (as is the orange crush sign), and mounted on a prominent corner of his high priced clothing store in a vacation/tourist area of Door County.
I went in and asked if they had a public phone. They didn't but that's how I got the above info.
The sign looks original with a bit of rust on it covered with matching blue enamel.
Swinks Hotel. Cuba New York
Clarion. I.A.
Post Office (West ? ? ?)
A 'good corner' (place) to rest, take a coffee, and use the telephone.
France.
:)
Public telephone room, Miami Florida, 1925, with a row of telephone booths seen along the back wall.
Customers would request a call at the front desk, when the connection was made the customer would be directed to a booth at the rear to take the call.
Unknown locations.
British telephone signs (click on image to expand).
~ unknown location
3 more signs.
Taken today in Madrid.
Unfortunately with no payphone.
Need a cab? Just dial 42.