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Lamp Phone Atrocities!

Started by Greg G., May 06, 2009, 12:43:09 AM

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poplar1

Quote from: HarrySmith on November 10, 2013, 03:34:25 PM
Maybe you can just replace the drilled F-1 and find the innards for a nice manual
202. I have seen lots with the cradles snapped off, cheap parts phones. The body looks in good shape & a nice dial card in it!

I may have asked before, but has anyone found a source for the 2 bushings (originally phenol) that guide the plunger, one at the top and one at the bottom?
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

TelePlay

#421
Here's a lamp that looks and works like a real WE 60's payphone! And at a payphone price to boot: $499 opening bid or BIN at $675 (shade not included and shipping is $78.50).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111216492191  EDIT: link dead as of 3-13-14

Okay, so if "THE FRONT COVER FOR THE COIN BOX IS MISSING," then why didn't the current owner drop a dime to see if the chute worked? The vault is open!  :-\

DavePEI

Quote from: TelePlay on November 14, 2013, 03:14:47 PM
Here's a lamp that looks and works like a real WE 60's payphone! And at a payphone price to boot: $499 opening bid or BIN at $675 (shade not included and shipping is $78.50).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/111216492191

Okay, so if "THE FRONT COVER FOR THE COIN BOX IS MISSING," then why didn't the current owner drop a dime to see if the chute worked? The vault is open!  :-\
Well, the vendor states "1960'S ROTARY DIAL 3 SLOT COIN PAY PHONE LAMP WESTERN ELECTRIC BELL SYSTEM------IS IN EXCELLENT WORKING CONDITION,HAS BEEN TESTED AND WORKS GREAT,HAS OLD TIME RINGER SOUND," therefore a ringer has been added - chances are extremely likely it has been installed in the location of the coin relay.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

TelePlay

Quote from: poplar1 on November 10, 2013, 08:29:03 PM
Quote from: HarrySmith on November 10, 2013, 03:34:25 PM
Maybe you can just replace the drilled F-1 and find the innards for a nice manual
202. I have seen lots with the cradles snapped off, cheap parts phones. The body looks in good shape & a nice dial card in it!

I may have asked before, but has anyone found a source for the 2 bushings (originally phenol) that guide the plunger, one at the top and one at the bottom?

Just in case anyone reads this first and has the same question or need, here are the two links you found to both the bushings and the insertion/removal tool. Thanks, poplar1.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10515.msg111690;topicseen#new



flhusa1

i am thinking about finding a expensive antique tiffany lamp and installing phone parts in it. maybe make the light flash when it rings.

Matilo Telephones

Groeten,

Arwin

Check out my telephone website: http://www.matilo.eu/?lang=en

And I am on facebook too: www.facebook.com/matilosvintagetelephones

TelePlay

This drilled stick just sold on eBay for $54 plus $11 shipping. The perch was untouched. The modification used to make it a lamp was to drill a hole in the top of the transmitter cup. This "WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY BRASS CANDLESTICK" was listed at $53, 2 bidders.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/200996407222

Contempra

$54 for this atrocity ! .. just the telephone okay but  for the lamp..... never mind !. ;). I would never buy it. of course this is my opinion


TelePlay

#428
After the make-over (I had poor lighting conditions when taking the photo but you get the idea . . .)

Before: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1000.msg111319#msg111319

It really is a FrankenLampPhone now but my wife likes it and it looks good on the desk. And being a "restored" lamp phone, it really isn't an atrocity anymore, is it?

Doug Rose

John...it came fantastic especially considering the condition it was in. What became of the Junior achievement WE dial card??....Great job....Doug
Kidphone

TelePlay

Quote from: Doug Rose on December 30, 2013, 01:56:18 PMWhat became of the Junior achievement WE dial card??

Doug, still have them. Repainted the blank and it would be on the phone if I hadn't come across that AE dial for cheap. When I decided to leave the base unpainted, that dial caught my eye. I may still put the blank with the JA card back on it some day to see which looks better, the black blank or the light dial. the D1 base is the cast metal, with a little polish on it. Fits the dial well be just looking at it now, I know the black blank would look just as good.

AE_Collector

Looks great John! But then I sort of like a lamp phone or two around the house.

Terry

TelePlay

#432
This is the first "Celebrity" to be reported in this topic. It's a mid to late 70s WE Design Line 940 "Celebrity" with D41-Gold trim (scroll down in this page from paul-f's web site to see it without the lamp addition) on eBay right now at the BIN price of $49.99 plus $13.40 shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/281231469545

Seller says "This is truly a one of a kind phone. There was never one made like this. Somebody has added this cool desk lamp and it kinda makes me wonder why Western electric never did it!" Yeah, I wonder why?  ??? But the phone works and the seller is up front about the lamp saying "The phone itself works great and has nice sound. The lamp on the other hand was added by somebody and it should be considered non functional. I didn't wire it, There is no switch, and don't know that it was done correctly."

The base has a sticker which states the user only owns the housing and WE owns everything else as stated at paul-f's site was printed in the user manual: "The customer buys the housing and handset from the telephone company and the telephone company retains ownership of the transmission and signaling components."

This rotary phone is in great shape, except for the lamp modifications, and was I wondering how much of an "atrocity" do we see here. How rare is the "Celebrity" and what would it be worth unmodified in its condition?


HarrySmith

Personally I do not consider any of the Design Line phones to be "Rare". I had  2 of that type I got for free during a Craigslist purchase. One had a trashed case and the other did not work. I harvested some parts from them and trashed both. Neither had the lamp option ;D
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

TelePlay

#434
Well, Harry, I guess it's unanimous. Turning a Design Line phone into a lamp is not an atrocity. Got to destroy something of rarity and/or value to be a legitimate atrocity. I'll put it into the lot of prior converted phones just because of the add on but as I suspected, no great loss, maybe even a gain, in that conversion . . .  ;)