blake transmitter

[biffrollerskate]

i have had this old wooden phone in my possession for some time now and decided i was time to clean house.before i list it on ebay i was hoping for some info on it,but info seems hard to come by for a blake transmitter.i am hoping you phone guys would have more info on it for me.
thanks in advance.
al.

[LarryInMichigan]

I have only seen those once or twice.  I believe that this is worth a very substantial amount, several hundred $$$ at least.

Larry

[Phonesrfun]

I am not an authority on value and whether something is real or a reproduction.  Given the seemingly pristine condition, I would almost expect  it to be a reproduction.  If it is real, and in that kind of shape, you're looking at a small fortune.  Even if it is a repro, it would be worth something, but not as much as the real McCoy.

[biffrollerskate]

thanks for the quick reply,it was given to us as a gift by my wifes grandmother,whose husband collected these old phones years ago.it seems to be in very good condition(but i am no expert).i would like to see this go to someone who truly appreciates it.

[biffrollerskate]

again i am not an expert,it may be a reproduction,but it has been in the family for 50 plus years.i also had an old edison phonograph, given to us from the same collection that was in very good condition,the gentleman i sold it to said it was authentic.

[LarryInMichigan]

I think I was off by a factor of ten   Here are a couple of links to check: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=3077.0, http://www.bobsoldphones.net/Pages/Essays/BlakeTransmitter/Blake%20Page%201.htm.

Larry

[Phonesrfun]

The close-up's of Biff's picture look real enough, and probably warrants having it looked at by someone who know this stuff. 

[DavePEI]

The close-up's of Biff's picture look real enough, and probably warrants having it looked at by someone who know this stuff.  

The Blake Patent, and a photo of my 1891 pre-Northern Electric Blake transmitter on my Bell Canada Blake transmitter, long-pole receiver 3 box Phone. Hope this and the text of the article below gives you some if the information you need on the Blake box. These are quite a rare phone, and the Blake a rare transmitter.

Below the photos a PDF article about the above-mentioned phone... or download it from:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=5832.0;attach=30768

Dave

[kleenax]

i have had this old wooden phone in my possession for some time now and decided i was time to clean house.before i list it on ebay i was hoping for some info on it,but info seems hard to come by for a blake transmitter.i am hoping you phone guys would have more info on it for me.
thanks in advance.
al.

Appears to be original, and in outstanding condition too. I would say it's worth $3,500-$5000.

[biffrollerskate]

some more pics i just took.

[biffrollerskate]

i am kinda shocked at the numbers u guys are throwing out,i figured $100-$200 just because of its age.here are a few more pics

[Phonesrfun]

There were not all that many made, and the Blake was one of the first commercially viable transmitters of its time, fashioned around the Edison carbon transmitter design.

The Bell System used these in their upgraded phones of the time, and the Blake transmitter was a pivotal point in technology.

I was just reading about the Blake in Larry Wolff's book.  There will be much written on line, like in Wikepedia.

[GG]

Without the rest of the telephone, I'll save you the trouble of listing it on Ebay and offer $300 for it today:-)  

Seriously though...

A potential issue: note that the "keyhole" on the front is fairly close to the hole for the transmitter, and does not appear to have an actual latch of any kind on the back side.  That to me says it could be a repro.  However, the other examples pictured at various links here appear to have the same close spacing between transmitter and keyhole on the front.  

Going to the article on the Bob's Old Telephones page: on the first page directly below the words "Blake Transmitters," we see a photo of one from the inside: and at the approximately 3:00 position on this one, we see an extra little metal tab peeking out from under the dark red circular metal piece.  A similar tab is visible in the photo just below and to the left of that, but this photo is taken from a different angle so it appears that the tab is shown at the 6:00 position in the photo (which is actually the same position relative to the entire transmitter as in the preceding photo).  

That little tab would rotate into the slot that is grooved into the inside of the right-hand wall of the housing, to keep the front of the box closed.

So, look for that metal tab, and see if it appears to match up with the location of the keyhole on the front of the box.  

Conclusion: this should probably be looked at "in person" by an expert who has seen original units before, and who can provide a written opinion as to its authenticity.  

[DavePEI]

A potential issue: note that the "keyhole" on the front is fairly close to the hole for the transmitter, and does not appear to have an actual latch of any kind on the back side.  That to me says it could be a repro.  However, the other examples pictured at various links here appear to have the same close spacing between transmitter and keyhole on the front.

Normally, if you look at the transmitter from the inside (best shown in pic 027.jpg), the bolt from the keyhole comes through the left hand side of the transmitter casting, and would have a little flat tab which would turn with the key, and slide into a slit on the side of the case to lock it. Now it looks like that tab is missing on this one, but in a couple of the photos, it looks as though it may have been mounted on the wrong side of the transmitter in one of the photos instead of on the key bolt.

So, without seeing it closely, it is hard to tell if the key will turn that shaft as it should. If it does, either the flat piece which should move with the shaft is missing, or the little piece has been mounted on the wrong side when someone had it apart.

Dave

[biffrollerskate]

the tab seems to be there,just turned to the open position.pic attached.