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Rare WE Wall Phone

Started by bingster, February 11, 2009, 05:53:31 PM

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bingster

I ran across these photos of an interesting Western Electric wall phone, and wanted to share them, since I've never seen anything like it.  We've all seen the common steel box wall phone with separate transmitter and receiver, and we've all seen the 354.  But was there anything in between?  Apparently there was.  The case is bakelite, the handset is an E1, and the components date to II 32.  Whether this is a prototype or was released to the public, I don't know. There was no information with the photos, except that the poster referred to it as an "A1" wall phone.
= DARRIN =



Sargeguy

Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Dan/Panther

Looks pretty much 302 inside...
It's dated February  1932 ?


D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

bingster

Quote from: Dan/Panther on February 11, 2009, 06:45:27 PMLooks pretty much 302 inside... It's dated February  1932 ?

The backplate and dial are, but I don't know about the other parts.  The photos aren't big enough to show a date on the coil, but from the photo it doesn't look like it has one, or maybe it's really faded.  The squared condensers usually aren't dated like the rounded ones are.

I tried to adjust the contrast of the closeup of the backplate to show the date, but the photo wasn't good enough to make it clear.  You can just make out the date, though.
= DARRIN =



mienaichizu

that is one cool wall phone!

McHeath

I've seen pictures of one of these in my web travels, but I can't recall where.  It's a very interesting design, yet it seems odd that it would be dated that early.  Parts reuse maybe for an inhouse experiment?


BDM

Bing, I was telling Dennis the other day about my experience with one of these. Some time around 1983 or 84, I ran across one of these at a true flea market. There used to be this HUGE flea-bag market on the south side of the city of Warren (long gone now). Largest city directly outside of Detroit. Now keep in mind, this is one of those places were crap was everywhere, you had to watch where you stepped. He would pile old phones on top of each other, radios in another spot, TVs in another, etc. etc. etc. Hope you're getting the picture of a huge junkyard, minus the cars.

So, I used to stop in and get an occasional treasure for pennies. He was an old southern guy with an attitude to match. Even the occasional treasure needed to be dug out of the garbage. So, I see all these wall phones stacked up, and some of them hung of nails. One of them was that exact phone. Of course, it didn't look that good. I remember the cut corners and E1 handset. I believe he had 5 or $10 bucks on it, or something to that effect. Now keep in mind, this was well before I had "knowledge number one" in phones. Plus, I don't collect wall phones. I never have. I have almost zero interest in them (except maybe a nice 354).

Zoom ahead years later. I join a club, buy the book, and start asking questions. One day I see one of these phones at a show for sale. Naturally for big big bucks. Maybe around the mid 90s or so. It hit me like a sledge hammer what I passed on many years earlier :-\ I should mention also, the only reason it caught my interest was the old style E1 handset. But, I was looking for strictly candlestick 202 and 302 phones at the time. That's all I really knew or liked.

True story, and I'm sure anyone that's been collecting for any amount of time has a good "one that got away" story ;D
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

Steve


Back around 85, they were renovating a building near me. I was driving in the alley behind it. I saw a box with lots of old stuff in it, one of them the old electric match I mentioned in another thread. there was another box full of 202's ( between 6-9). I grabbed the electric match and an old ash stand, but passed on the phones as they had no dials. been kicking myself for that for years now.
If you're a long way from home,
Can't sleep at night.
Grab your telephone,
Something just ain't right.

HobieSport

Ouch!  You guys are killing us with these stories of missed opportunities! :P ;)

Bill

The squared-off capacitor looks like the one in my 302 - two sections, 2 MF each.

You might get some more info by looking up those patent numbers on the USPTO web site.

Bill

bingster

I ran the patent numbers when I first saw the phone and they're all old, standard AT&T patents.  Nothing pertaining to this specific phone, though.

Bill what's the date on your 302?   I've never seen the 194 condenser in a 302 before (but mine aren't all that old, either).

BDM, I had a moment like that with a radio once.  It was at a small radio flea marked in the mid-1980s.  I saw a FADA bullet in burgundy with butterscotch trim.  Perfect condition with no cracks, etc.  But the price was an outrageous $100.  I actually thought about getting it as I walked around looking at the other radios, but decided I didn't feel like going to an ATM, so I passed on it and bought nothing. ::)
= DARRIN =



McHeath

I only started collecting phone last summer so I don't have any tales of the one that got away, yet.

However, I did sell my 1960 Chevy Bel Air, still in the original bronze/white, with a 283 V-8, in 1988 for $200. 

Yeah, stupid.
:'(


Bill

Bingster -

My reply got lost somewhere ... My 302 is dated 9/45 throughout. I could take a pic of the cap if that would be of any value.

Bill

bingster

I'd love to see a pic, Bill.  It would be another interesting 302 variation.
= DARRIN =



HobieSport

#14
Here is another one of those 1932 354s with the cut corners.  Do you think that the seller might be just a tad optimistic?  I mean, sure they are rare and all, but... ::)

http://tinyurl.com/dxp9cr