1908 Double Bell Banner 5x24" Ebay #332232682872-Unknown Rarity or 50's Repro?

[rfkimba]

Hi All,
I'm looking for assistance in determining if the above Double Bell  logo banner is a reproduction.
I checked 4 book references  and online sign sites and cant find any images of this sign type. The lettering on the left bell logo is somewhat irregular but the right bell lettering shows more uniformity like we'd see on a sign of this era. The  worn reverse  looks  odd.
Nice porcelain ledging is present. The seller states is is  from the 50's. I emailed the seller to see if that was from lack of knowledge or he knows its a later repro.
Anyone have any thoughts about this hot Ebay item?
Thanks,
Bob Farber
ATCA, TCI

[Fabius]

This may be a fake but I need to compare it with my original. I'm away from home until Sunday and I'll check mine then. The back looks suspect and there's something different or wrong about the front layout. The Bell logo used is called the 1908 bell. In use
1908 - 1921.

I think the originals have a white boarder?

[rfkimba]

Hi Friends,
This 1908 double bell banner who's authenticity I questioned has impressed several other Ebay collectors to the tune of $766.
Did anyone bid on this one and if so why do they feel it is authentic?
Previous photos are displayed on my 5/25 posting.
Any feedback helps .
Regards,
Bob Farber

[Payphone installer]

I bid on it and am convinced it was the real deal, one of the thinks I concentrate on is the thickness of the porcelain and the rivets. Also how many of the signs I have seen in the past. I have never seen this sign before. I have been second bidder on three of these high end items, the same buyer has beat me every time. Really sucks it's some rare stuff. Jim

[Fabius]

This may be a fake but I need to compare it with my original. I'm away from home until Sunday and I'll check mine then. The back looks suspect and there's something different or wrong about the front layout. The Bell logo used is called the 1908 bell. In use
1908 - 1921.

I think the originals have a white boarder?

Well, I found out why I thought the wording looked different. It's because mine is a different sign  If the buyer is a knowledgeable collector it'd be nice to hear their opinion once they have the sign.

[Payphone installer]

I would like to know what Bells intent was in the advertising. Here is what I mean,I have seen signs that advertise long distance,signs that advertise local service,signs that advertise local and long distance service. Also signs that advertise Bell Telephone like this sign that Tom has posted and signs that have public telephone service. It appears that some places only had certain places that you could make a long distance call. Some places only a local call. Some places where you had access to a phone because there were not any anywhere else. So all that said I think one has to define when collecting what he is collecting. Public telephone signs,local long distance signs,telephone signs,or even Bell telephone building signs. I would ascertain that the local long distance sign on eBay is not related to Toms sign as one is advertising local long distance service,and the other is advertising Bell telephone possible location or service. Just my observation of the signs I have collected and what I have seen here.

[rdelius]

From what I understand,the earleist  Bell logo had long distance telephone.the local was added later.Both were dropped in the 1921? bell logo.Exceptions are out there

[Sargeguy]

The "Long Distance" sign pre-dates the Local & Long Distance signs, but the was used for qa while after the L&LD signs were introduced, presumably in the same way that later "connections" signs were. In the earliest days of there were "public telephones" upon which a subscriber could make a telephone call and it would be billed to their account.  This worked fine when there were few phones and most of the subscribers were well off.  The phones were in locations, such as stores, where the person making the account would have been extended credit anyway.  As phones became more and more common, this left a lot of opportunity for fraud, I suspect.  Also, phone local calls became a lot less expensive so an establishment might be more likely to just let customers use their phone. The first pay stations had an attendant who managed everything and collected the fee, later mechanical phones were introduced.  These would have been in more public spaces, such as train stations and hotels.  The use of Bell Telephone would have been used by smaller telcos that did not have their own signs, or in places where there was a competing independent telephone company.