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AE 2 line Brown and Gold

Started by tubaman, March 05, 2018, 01:14:57 PM

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tubaman

Hi all - first post so please be gentle :)

I picked-up this phone on Ebay a couple of years ago and have finally got around to taking a decent look at it.
Having searched the internet I can't find any reference to one exactly like it.
I have found other two line AE phones but none in brown and none with this switch configuration.
The switches are 'LINE', 'HOLD2', 'HOLD1'

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Also, the transmitter ring has some dents and I can't unscrew it - any advice on how to get it undone please?

tubaman

A couple more photos for you.

HarrySmith

That will be a very nice phone once it is restored. Congrats!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

tubaman

Quote from: HarrySmith on March 05, 2018, 01:17:40 PM
That will be a very nice phone once it is restored. Congrats!

Any thoughts on how to deal with the gold parts.
I have done some very gentle cleaning to get them to where they are but I don't want to risk rubbing off any of the original plating.
:)

AE_Collector

Oh geez...another one (person who stumbles into coloured AE sets in hard to find models)! I'm just jealous...again! Welcome to the forum and thanks for starting with pictures!

The transmitter bands especially can be dented up and very hard to remove. Lots of advice around the forum, others will have ideas. Put in freezer, have a strap wrench to use on it etc. On the receiver end there is a tool to remove the centre but freeing the Bakelite pad but then you have a brass cap that also has very fine threads on it attavhingbit tge tge recriver handle.

Gold plating May be corroded off in places, hopefully not though. Phone is essentially an AE 1A with the switch base added making it an AE 31 I believe? There are several versions of bases with different switch configurations, likely denoted as 31A, 31B, 31C.

Looks like a March 2018 Find of the Month competitor for sure. Yeah, I know, you found it a couple of years ago but you just "refound it"!

Wonderful find!

Terry

tubaman

#5
Hi Terry,

Sorry to make you jealous.
I did have a suspicion that I'd found something quite unusual.
I probably shouldn't mention that it only cost me £40 !

I'll search around for other posts on the transmitter band.
The receiver cap does come undone with the brass band attached.
I haven't tried too hard to get the centre nut undone as I haven't got anything the right size to fit in it.

Thanks for the 'find of the month' suggestion, but I think it'd be a bit cheeky on something I've had a couple of years.

stub

 tubaman ,
               Man me and Terry can't get a break anywhere ;D !!  Great find !! Here's the best my camera will do . AE Catalog 4055 A , 1937 , pgs. 14 & 15 list information on your phone . I have one below in black with working ringer. Hope this helps.  stub
                                                                     left click on pics to enlarge
Kenneth Stubblefield

LarryInMichigan

I would guess that that phone would get somewhere close to US$1000 in auction here.

Larry

tubaman

Brilliant!

So now I just need the Black, Walnut (is my one Mahogany or Walnut?), Chinese Red, Old Ivory, Jade Green, Nile Green, Royal Blue, Orchid, and Maroon versions in each of Gold plate and Chromium trim to complete my collection!!

I'll start looking  ;D ;D

tubaman

Quote from: LarryInMichigan on March 05, 2018, 03:22:55 PM
I would guess that that phone would get somewhere close to US$1000 in auction here.

Larry

Eek!!
That definitely makes it the most valuable phone in my collection.
I'm a bit afraid to touch it now!! ;)

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: tubaman on March 05, 2018, 03:31:21 PM
Eek!!
That definitely makes it the most valuable phone in my collection.
I'm a bit afraid to touch it now!! ;)

You should be...you aren't a Certified Collector. I am. Send the phone to me! ;) ;D

I saw your initial post, and knew AE Collector (Terry) would die a little inside when he read that you have a Mahogany one! Sure enough... ;)

1920s-1950s colored AE stuff is probably top end on the value scale of phone-related items. There are others, such as one-off sets and prototypes, but that's hard to group together.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

AE_Collector

#11
Yeah this has been the worst forum I've ever been involved with. Over the years there has been one lucky collector after another showing up here pretending to not know what it is that they found at an antique store for $50, or no one else bid on eBay and it was snagged for $19.99. Mahogany 40's, walnut 34's, whole collections of coloured 40's, 50's, 34's, 32's found in rotting train cars in someone's back yard. I'm outa here!  :)

But not until I see if tuba man can find any date codes on anything. If you see any stamped on numbers/letters on the base or any components get a picture of it. I might be able to help you narrow a date down from that. Don't see anything on the paparazzi label tha5bhelps though. This could go back as early as the late 1920's but there wasn't a replacement for multi line phones from AE until the AE 47 in about 1947 or so. And the 1A Set actually continued in production into the early 50's so the multi line base likely was continued at least until the late 1940's when the AE 47 became available.

What's the tuba story tubaman? I may have to change my handle to saxman. If you haven't noticed already, not too much is off topic around here.

Terry

tubaman

Hi Terry,

I'll see if I can look for some date codes for you later today.

I do remember that from the original Ebay photos it wasn't clear that this was a Mahogany model - it looked almost black. I thought that as it has gold trim it was probably brown of some sort, but I didn't ask the question is case the seller confirmed it was brown on Ebay. Yes, I know that's rather naughty.

I now feel that posting anything about other phones in my collection is going to be somewhat of an anticlimax after this one!

As for the tubaman name - yes I do play one in both a concert band and a symphony orchestra.
It's a Boosey and Hawkes Imperial EEb model from around 1983. I also own a Cerveny BBb and a Boosey BBb sousaphone but they rarely get played now (regrettably).
:)

AE_Collector

#13
I should be careful what I say being that you are new here...of course I am joking about being indignant about everyone's great finds...I too have had my occasional bouts of good luck!

AE phones older than the model 40/50 seem to have less likelihood of locating date info but give it a try.

As you say, an AE with Gold trim is a pretty good indicator of a coloured phone but...Gold Matte was an available option on black Bakelite sets as well. Just like chrome trim was an option though chrome on black is really quite common whereas gold on black very rarely seen. And of course one has to be able to recognize polished brass bands versus the gold matte as well.

I toured England, Scotland and the Isle of Mann three times for a month each time in the 1970's (71, 74 & 77) including a week or longer in Germany in 1977 while I was a member of a 50 piece Concert, Marching and 16 piece Dance Band. On one visit, likely 1974 we toured Boosey and Hawkes factory near London. I still remember it quite well!

Terry

tubaman

#14
Terry,

Worry not sir, your comments were taken entirely as you intended. ;D

I've had a good scan for dates and can't find a thing.
The only numbered parts that I spotted were the receiver capsule coils that each have "D-28151" on them, but I suspect that is a part number.
I even took the dial out, which I suspect is not the original anyway being that it is black.
Would I be right in thinking that the most likely part to be dated is the only one I can't get to - ie the transmitter capsule?

Another question if I may - what should be on the base?  Would it have had a rubber gasket type surround like the AE40? If so I assume finding hens teeth is easier!!
(I do have an AE40, but don't worry it's the standard black one - I still think its gorgeous though).
:)