WE pay phone and booth

[liteamorn]

I won this WE pay phone and 3 sides and the door of a 1920's phone booth (non-sliding doors). I have been ecstatic about it until about the 80'th time I looked at it. Does anyone know if the coin return draw is appropriate for this phone? All of the other phones I have seen have the coin return opening only.

[liteamorn]

Here is a link to the auction with photos of the phone booth

http://tinyurl.com/9b2m8yw

[kleenax]

Here is a link to the auction with photos of the phone booth

http://tinyurl.com/9b2m8yw

The good news is that you got a GREAT deal since even only partially there, your phone booth is worth the price of admission! And with even "marginal" carpentry skills, you can get it back together and looking good.

Now, to the phone itself:
Sorry to say, and I hope you take this in a "good way", but your payphone is a cobbled mess, made to look like a 2-piece (older) payphone.

One of the 1st things to look for (if you want old/desirable) in Western Electric/Gray pay-stations is to make certain that there is NO coin return button (upper rt corner), and an open coin return. It should also not have a security lock (lower rt of the upper housing). Careful here too though because AE payphones don't have a coin return button, AND they have an open coin return  (but they're not "old") ;-)

I could go on, but if you bought this for $365.00 and picked it up (no shipping $$), you got a very good deal.

[Sargeguy]

That is not a WE mouthpiece, transmitter or receiver, either. 

[teka-bb]

 A bit hard to see but it looks like there is no lock in the coin vault door?

[liteamorn]

Thanks for the info guys! This became a somewhat impulse buy by me. I had saved it on my watch list and had house guests when the auction was closing.

I saw the old phone booth and without really researching it just assumed they were in service together. I have been looking for both a phone booth and that style phone because one of the coolest phones I remembered from my youth was one of those in an old gas station (way past the time they were normally in service).

I am going to pick them up and my plan is to eventually put together the booth in the room that will eventually become my phone room.

[kleenax]

One thing that you should know is about the floor of the phonebooth......

The floors were heavily weighted to keep the booths from tipping too easily. If you could find a piece of 1/8" plate steel of the correct size, that would make the perfect (heavy) floor.

Use some angle iron around the inside perimeter, so you have something for the sides to fasten to, (the angle uprights), then placing the heavy steel plate within that should work. Cover the steel plate with some tongue-and-groove wood flooring, and you are all set!

[liteamorn]

Thanks for that great tip Ray. I might be able to come across something that might do the trick at work ! I found a picture online of a restored one and I think I might be able to duplicate it. The top was finished off with what appears to be large crown molding and I might have to fabricate a door jam out of oak for the door.

I'm open to any other suggestions you or anyone else may have. Did these have a bench installed in them?