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WE Brass Candlestick

Started by LarryInMichigan, September 08, 2012, 09:56:06 PM

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LarryInMichigan

ebay link

This appeared on ebay yesterday as a $140 BIN, and one of our distinguished forum members bought it after I informed him about it, so I really hope that he got a good deal.  It looks good to me, and has a #2 dial.  What do you think?  Should I feel guilty?  

Did someone strip the japan finish and polish it, or did it leave the factory this way?  I rather doubt that it is a repro because of the #2 dial.

Larry


poplar1

#1
Transmitter and receiver are also not repros. But they never left the factory with bare brass. Earlier candlestick phones were nickel plated brass or black japan over brass; by the time this model was introduced they were all black. (WE also made the 40AL non-dial in steel with bower-barff finish.)
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

Sargeguy

#2
They do make repro fingerstops, and that 164A dial plate certainly looks fishy.  

EDIT When I put my glasses on I realized it wasn't a 164A.  The phone still looks suspicious, non Korean. but possibly Phoneco or OPW or other repro parts. 
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Dennis Markham

Quote from: Sargeguy on September 13, 2012, 07:48:32 PM
They do make repro fingerstops, and that 164A dial plate certainly looks fishy.  

The phone still looks suspicious, non Korean. but possibly Phoneco or OPW or other repro parts. 

I'll find out soon and let you know.  I thought it might arrive today but no dice.  I have a lot of phones but this will be my first stick.  It was kind of an impulse buy with not much investigation.  I thought the same thing...maybe Phoneco.  Again, we'll know soon.

poplar1

#4
The tags on repro transmitters from phoneco look like they are glued on. Now, if the cup says November 1910, then that is repro.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

Sargeguy

I was thinking about the base and dial.  The top half looks legit and the receiver looks good.  Its certainly been monkeyed with to some extent.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Dennis Markham

#6
OK gang, here are some photos of this phone (that I bought).  How bad of a purchase did I make?  There certainly has been some work done on it.  When I went to invert the upside down transmitter I discovered that a T1 transmitter has been wired inside the cup.  There is a mini-network inside.  The dial is a Western Electric although I have not removed it to find a date.  There is some damage to the receiver, as stated in the listing.

Because of the mini-network I did plug it in and made a phone call.  I was told the voice transmission wasn't bad.  I could hear easily via the receiver although the volume was a bit low.  If it's worth the trouble, I plan to remove the min-network and connect it to a proper subset.  How difficult would it be to make the transmitter legit again?  Is the transmitter face a replica?  Also, the screws that hold the base cover in place are not originals.

It has some issues, but looks nice.  With shipping, I invested about $155.00.

I appreciate any and all input.

wds

That looks like a nice 50al you have there.  The patent date ending May 7 18 is the second production run, the first being dates ending Jan 1 18.  Date on the side of the phone instead of the front.  Nice #2 no notch dial.  Definitely a keeper.  I would replace the transmitter with the correct one, my first choice would be a nice 329.  Or you could just repair the transmitter - I've restored several of the WE transmitters that have been gutted just like that one.  I would think that the two tone was done by someone who just wanted it to look a little different, and not a result of repro parts.  From looking at the pictures, you did good.  
Dave

poplar1

#8
Have you noticed the price of 132B unnotched plates lately? Sometimes they go for what you paid for the whole phone. I agree that the repro dial bases don't have the dates ending in 1918! No self-respecting cobbler/lampmaker/décapeur  would have left the 132B number plate on it.  As I pointed out before, the transmitter face is not a replica---the fakes have no nametag or one glued on.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

Dennis Markham

Thank you guys for the comments and information.   Thanks too to Larry for pointing out this auction to me.  I told him some time ago that I wanted to buy a nice Western Electric dial stick some day when one came along.  I may have opened a new door in my telephone collecting.

Sargeguy

Nice one!  Get the krylon out and bring that sucker back to black!    Of course now you need a nickel 20-B
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

LarryInMichigan

After reading all of the comments, I feel much less guilty.  A proper transmitter would have been nice, but overall, Dennis came out well on this.  I have seen un-notched dial plates (without a dial) sell in the $100 range.

Larry

Dennis Markham

I'm very happy with my purchase, Larry.  No need to feel guilty, ever.  No one held a gun to my head when I pushed the button on that auction.  I appreciate the heads up!  (Now you're wishing you had bought it, aren't you??) :)

Dan

How does it sound Dennis?? I have a 50AL with a bulldog transmitter in the basement and the kids like the look but hate how it "blows their ears off "when they talk in it. I tell them to not put their  mouth so close but they are used to cell phones.
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

LarryInMichigan

QuoteI have a 50AL with a bulldog transmitter in the basement and the kids like the look but hate how it "blows their ears off "when they talk in it.

These are sidetone sets.  Sidetone can supposedly be reduced by interchanging two of the wires.

Larry