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AE/ Gray Paystation 150HJ

Started by Gary Z, March 12, 2017, 07:55:50 PM

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Stan S

Roody
Below is a scan of the prepay card for your payphone.
It should print to the proper size.

Stan S.

Gary Z


Gary Z

How common is this model and what would a range of value be?

Payphone installer

Value of the telephone is between 300-350 in my opinion. Here is why,upper is common backboard is common,tag is rare, tag alone is valued at 100-150. Chute is common. Number ring and shroud are rare. It is missing the Gray relay,gray relays are very rare. It is missing the Gray lead chute. With the correct parts it would be a 800-900 dollar phone. The older Gray Paystation Company bottom would also help the value. When I started collecting payphones it took me about 10 years to even put a dent in finding the various Gray models. They are very hard to come by in original condition,most of what you find is parts and pieces. I spent 25 years finding my first 34A8 and 34A10 there are many Grays you will never find. What even makes it more interesting is that when Gray sold to A/E for a very short time they made all the Gray models. The only difference was the bottoms said A/E and the top tags which there were two versions of said Automatic electric. All these early A/E models like a A/E 34A11 are very hard to get. There was even a A/E 150K which I have the tag but not the phone. I do have the parts to build it just have not got to it yet. If I get some time I will post some pics of rare Grays. Early Gray prepay are some of the rarest because the independent companies just did not have that many prepaid central offices. Then of course we get into all the Strowger A/E stuff which is a deeper conversation.

Payphone installer

Gray pre- pay relay

Payphone installer

post pay relay

Payphone installer

Grays waiting to be refurbished.

Gary Z

Very nice Jim. Thanks for the peek behind the curtain!

Payphone installer

in the last picture look at the G handset with the giant armor cord.

mentalstampede

What in the world is the story behind that incredibly fat handset cord?
My name is Kenn, and I like telephones.

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." --Robert Heinlein

Payphone installer

I was wondering if anybody was going to ask me that,I believe it was the first armored cord that was used on a payphone. When I get a chance I will post it as a topic and take better pictures. This is the only one I have and or have ever seen. However I have evidence of them being on several models which I will share. Jim

RotarDad

Jim - Great info & pics!  Thank you.  Question - why is there a relay at all in a post-pay phone? There is no way to return the coins, so why not just let them drop into the coin box?
Paul

Payphone installer

The difference between a prepay relay and a post pay relay is the pre-pay had the arm that operated the coin gate or vane and the trap. The coin vane controlled the direction the coin would go right or left,in the box or in the return.
The lever on the back of the pre-paid relay moved to control this process based on voltage applied by the Central office.  The trigger on the relay detected coin presence. It is how the CO knew the coin was there.
The post pay relay only detected the coin, it took no part in any other function of the phone. Detecting the coin presence or deposit was all it needed to do. Upon coin detect the transmitter was opened and the coin went in the box. The coin return was pretty much useless on a post pay set.

RotarDad

Thanks for the detail, Jim.  It still seems strange that AE used a fairly complex, expensive device for this versus the WE approach, as in a 193G.  True?  Perhaps the AE part shared many components with the pre-pay relay, so they felt it was cost-effective to build it that way...
Paul

Payphone installer

I do not fully understand the A/E process as I was never exposed to their methods. I do know they had something called semi post pay which I have not taken the time to understand. I do remember trying to use one of there single slot post pay sets in the 80's and it would not work. I have always considered them a second rate company to the Bell companies. I could expand on this further based on my experience of becoming a independent phone company myself and having to deal with both companies from the outside looking in.