Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Decorator, Reproduction & Novelty Phones => Decorator & Design Line Phones => Topic started by: paul-f on February 25, 2011, 06:47:22 PM

Title: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: paul-f on February 25, 2011, 06:47:22 PM
ATC/Decotel made lots of chest phone variations.  Only a few were sold through the Bell System.

Many decorative top panels were produced, some for companies, sports teams and universities, others using different decorative materials.  Some had presentation plaques for events or product promotions

Show us the different models you've discovered.

I'll start with several ship theme designs.
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: stopthemachine on February 25, 2011, 06:54:55 PM
I will add mine soon.  Paul, did you see the seller on eBay recently who was selling the cases to these phones, NOS?  (No guts to them though--essentially hollow phones, for all practical purposes.)  I should have gotten a couple of them, but I didn't.  Oy!  They were cool too--one was the sailboat, like in your pic, but I can't remember what the others were.   
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: paul-f on February 25, 2011, 07:00:55 PM
No.  I haven't been watching these lately.

The empty cases  need the internal kits that were sold a few years ago, shown below.
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: stopthemachine on February 25, 2011, 07:38:27 PM
I love the mosaic chestphone avatar, btw!
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: AE_Collector on February 25, 2011, 07:46:15 PM
Did the NOS cases go for very big money? I have a complete internal only that needs a case! Guys used to take the recovered chestphones and use the original solid wood boxes to make jewelry boxes etc.

Terry
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: stopthemachine on February 25, 2011, 11:29:48 PM
I have no idea, actually.  I checked my Watch List, and it wasn't in there. 

I wish I'd known you were looking for one of them; I'll keep an eye out next time and give you the "heads up."
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: AE_Collector on February 26, 2011, 12:09:15 AM
I didn't *really* know that I was looking for one either until you mentioned that they had been on ebaY! I'll search a bit more often for them myself.

Thanks......Terry
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: paul-f on September 05, 2011, 05:47:15 PM
Here's a photo of the mosaic set (former avatar) and a few more from the photo collection.
Title: Re: ATC/Decotel Chest Phones
Post by: Westrex on January 02, 2024, 09:29:30 PM
It's been 12 years since this was posted in, but here's my Chest Phone branded Gen. Telephone of California.