Cool Find From CL

[DebbieDoo]

Here are some photo's of the numbers on the inside.  I am especially curious about the ones stamped in green on the inside of the housing.  108215  35016.  The '8' in the first set really looks like an ampersand. 

More likely that it is 10 22 45--that would match the other dates.

You know Poplar I bet you are right!!!  The ink is rather smudged but that makes perfect sense.  So what does the 35016 mean?

[poplar1]

These numbers appear on the early thermoplastic housings--1941-1945 or '46. Not sure if they are serial numbers or batch numbers--we need to document more examples.

Here are some photo's of the numbers on the inside.  I am especially curious about the ones stamped in green on the inside of the housing.  108215  35016.  The '8' in the first set really looks like an ampersand. 

More likely that it is 10 22 45--that would match the other dates.

You know Poplar I bet you are right!!!  The ink is rather smudged but that makes perfect sense.  So what does the 35016 mean?

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Very nice find indeed, I especially like the base date! Is there a date on the housing (it would be on the front inside lip to the right)? If it dates '45 or '46, it could be an Indigo 302 like mine.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10925.msg116750#msg116750

I put it up to a bright light and it is not transparent at all...  You had me going for a minute that it might be a rare find!!  The dates on the inside base is 10/45 and the handset has 12/46 on it.  There is also an S-IV-45 on one of the parts.

I put mine up to a very bright light, but I could barely see anything. Do you see any kind of reflective golden or reddish flakes in the housing at all?

No I don't see anything like that.

Oh, ok. Thanks for checking!

[TelePlay]

It has been rewired but it's kind of a mess.

If you are referring to the wall jack that was jury-rigged onto the end of the line cord to allow connection to a modular wall jack using a standard modular cord (with a modular plug on both ends), that is an easy fix.

So how can I fix this?  The wires are looking rather worn for sure.

Several ways. Replacing the line cord you have (meant to be hard wired into a wall box) with a new modular line cord like this one would be the easiest if you want to get the phone working and are not concerned about not using or having a phone with the original as manufactured line cord, which requires adapters and converters.

There are many sources for these cords. The one given above is just an example and postage from Canada is higher than from a US seller. eBay has them at times. Right now I could only find cloth line cords on eBay. You can also make one yourself by cutting the end off of a black modern line cord and attaching two spade lugs. You can also make them from scratch if you have the parts and tools.

Here's another example/source but they don't state color or colors available. You could ask them.

I'm sure others will have additional ideas of how to clean up the wall end of that line cord.

[DebbieDoo]

Thank you so much for the information.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do yet with it.  I would love to know if it works or not.