Going Dutch with Telefoons

[HobieSport]

No, by "Going Dutch" I don't mean taking your lovely telephone out to dinner for wining, dining and dancing, and then asking for separate checks...

I am referring rather to two classic Dutch phones that I have recently acquired; the closely related PTT Ericsson Ruen, and the PTT HEEMAF.  The Ericsson PTTs are fairly common and affordable on Ebay, but I hadn't seen nor learned about the Heemafs until recently, and well...I fell in love.

Interesting how the PTT built the chassis and electronics for the phones and then had the shell designs commissioned out to different designers for very different styles. Wouldn't that be a fun job? From what little I've gleaned, and don't take my word for it, the 1951 PTT Ericsson design seems to be based on the earlier 1931 PTT design of Jean Heiberg, and the 1955 PTT Heemaf was done by Gerard Kiljan.

Here is a link to some info about both phones on Vince Budnic's site, and a link to a refurbished Heemaf on Ebay with more info.  The Heemaf that I got seems to be in good shape and it was a decent price, IMHO.

http://www.digitallydo.com/phone/PTT1951.html

http://tinyurl.com/pwkljr

Hmm.  My last phone was from Britain, these phones are from Holland...looks like I may be looking further North-East for a phone from Norway soon? Watch out, d_s_k! That reverse dialing is a little scary though...

I wonder what to feed the Heemaf beastie to get it working. It looks like it may require copious amounts of bituminous coal to feed it.

[bingster]

PTTs are fairly common and affordable on Ebay...

The reason they're so common over here (and this fact is missing from most history sites) is because Radio Shack bought boatloads of them and sold them through their stores in the US.  I've seen numbers of these on ebay and elsewhere in Archer/RS branded boxes.

I've always loved the styling of these.  It's definitely a classic, imaginative design.

[HobieSport]

Bingster did Radio Shack import both the Ericsson PTTs and the Heemafs?  I see the Ericssons a lot, but not so much the Heemafs.  But that could just be because I didn't know what I was looking at. (Which is often the case. ) Either way, I'm glad they got here. I wouldn't want to pay shipping from Europe...

[bingster]

Now that you mention it, Matt, I can't remember.  I believe it's the Heemaf that I've seen boxes for, but don't hold me to it.

[HobieSport]

If you do find out if it's the Heemafs and/or the Ericssons that Radio Shack imported, I'd like to know, Bing.
I didn't think the Heemafs were rare by any means, and from what I read were made until 1970, but I just really like the design.

Just to compare, here's a PTT Heemaf, a Heemaf wall model, a PTT Ericsson, and a Norwegian EB that d_s_k posted.

[Steve]

I cant afford the one you linked from ebag but this looks like a must have to me.

it looks like its going a hundred miles an hour in that pic.

have you received the one you bought yet? I'd love to see what they look like up close.

[HobieSport]

Steve I paid $31 and $11 shipping for this Heemaf, which is still pretty expensive for me, but I really wanted it. I just "won" it a few hours ago and arranged the careful packaging with the seller.  But meanwhile here's a sneak peek of her from an Ebay pic, but this pic doesn't show the nice curves that you'd see in a side profile.

Yep, a fine example of a 100 mph doorstop.

[Greg G.]

Here's my contribution, the PTT we were trying to identify in another thread.  I've dubbed it the "bowling ball" phone because of the two large finger holes in the back:

[HobieSport]

Thanks Brinybay. Here's that thread:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=929.msg11217#msg11217

Looking back over that thread I notice that in the comparison pic that you posted there is a PTT Heemaf in the top right.

After doing some more reading I'm beginning to understand my confusion about Northern European telephones in general, as the various companies/manufactures historically seem very interrelated over time, with PTT, Ericsson,Heemaf,EB, Siemens, etc. etc..

So rather than trying to unravel all the historical connections, which would be a feat far beyond the capacities of my meager mind, I'm just trying to get a grasp on the different phone styles, where they were made, the proper names/numbers of the different phones, and pehaps the designer's names. I'll probably never even get that far, but it's fun to try.

Contraste, Stephen, mienaichizu, d_s_k, Bingster and anyone else care to chime in?

[HobieSport]

...And here's a couple of Ebay photos of a 1962 PTT Ericsson Ruen that I just got.  Lot's of differences compared to your PTT, Brinybay.  Oh the confusion. Heck, I give up. I'll just start calling them all "Northern Europaphones".

[Tonyrotary]

Jeez I am still trying to learn about American made phones and then you have a whole 'nother continent worth of phones! I like the look of the HEEMAF. Just how large is it? I bet your happy about getting it Hobie. Can you use it on the phones lines here?

[bingster]

I know next to nothing about these, so I  can't contribute very much.  I do know that you'll find a handset that's identical to the Western Electric F1 on many Belgian telephones because of the Belgian Bell System's obvious connections to the American and Canadian Bell System.  That's about it.

But here's a fascinating and incredibly extensive site that shows phones from Europe, Australia and North America, and describes the companies that made them:

http://www.bobsoldphones.net/Pages/index.htm

[HobieSport]

Now that I've been thinking about the PTT phones, I remembered that I had one stashed away that I had bought last Winter. I thought it was a PTT Ericsson Ruen, but lo and behold it's a 1965 Heemaf.  So I've had a Heemaf all this time and didn't know it.

Not only that, but it was shipped to me in an old Archer box, just as Bingster said, and on the side of the box is a picture of a PTT Ericsson.  I can't say if the box is original to this particular Heemaf, but all this leads me to believe that Radio Shack may very well have imported both the Ericssons and the Heemafs.  It would be interesting to learn the story of when and why Radio Shack did the importing.  Was there a surplus of these phones in Holland when they discontinued making the Heemafs in 1970 I wonder.

Tonyrotary you asked how large the Heemaf is.  It's about the size of most phones, but it's styling makes it kind of look larger than it really is.  Also, although I don't have an adapter yet to test these phones, I have read that they are easily rewired to work on American lines, though I assume that Radio Shack already did that before selling them, as the on the box it says "reconditioned".

One thing about both the Heemafs and the Ericsson Ruens is that they have no handle to pick them up, so like an AE34, they are awkward to move and it takes both hands.  That's what you get sometimes with phones designed by artists ...form over function.

By the way, if anyone is searching for a Heemaf on Ebay, use the search terms "PTT" and "Holland".  There are Heemafs on Ebay that won't always show up by searching for "HEEMAF" because the only place on a Heemaf exterior that actually says "HEEMAF" is in little tiny letters on the tops of the handset plungers.  But the Heemafs do say "PTT" prominently on the central white button above the dial.

[foots]

This is some really interesting info. I might start looking for one of these in the next couple of months or so. I really l ike the style and reverse dial on these.

[HobieSport]

This is some really interesting info. I might start looking for one of these in the next couple of months or so. I really l like the style and reverse dial on these.

Foots from what I've read the reverse dial phones are some of those in use in Oslo, Norway, like the ones that d_s_k, our new Norwegian member mentions here, the "EB" phones, that is, the Elektrisk Bureau of Norway.

http://tinyurl.com/q8v7q6

I don't think the Dutch PTT (Post, Telefoon en Telegraaf; the state owned post and telecommunication operator) made any with reverse dials.

By the way there is a Heemaf on Ebay now, but it looks like it has a plastic dial so I'm not interested.  Do a search for "PTT" and "Holland"  and "phone".