Is this a WE D-Type?

[Bill]

Thanks, BDM. Looks like this is about as good as it is going to get.

Bill

[Greg G.]

So how old is this thing?  The desk set has IV 35 on the inside of the base and handset, (April 1935 I presume) and 11/35 on the mouth piece, but the bracket where the subset door screws into as April 30, 07 stamped on it.  Seems odd to me that they would put an exact date of manufacture on something as insignificant as a small bracket, but then again, they just don't make things like they used to.

In either case, it was April, so happy birthday old guy! (girl?)

http://img18.imageshack.us/gal.php?g=wed25.jpg

[bingster]

The roman numerals refer to the quarter-year, rather than the month.  Some parts are dated to the quarter, while others are dated with the specific month.  So your base was made in the fourth quarter of 1935, and the 11/35 falls into that range as well, indicating it's probably the handset that came with the base.

[Greg G.]

The roman numerals refer to the quarter-year, rather than the month.  Some parts are dated to the quarter, while others are dated with the specific month.  So your base was made in the fourth quarter of 1935, and the 11/35 falls into that range as well, indicating it's probably the handset that came with the base.

But would the subset be nearly 30 years older than the base and handset?  Or is it just the bracket that was made in 07?

[BDM]

Could be both. Subsets were constantly upgraded if possible depending on the model. If the condition was good, it was upgraded in the field many times.

[bingster]

It could very well be the case that the subset was in somebody's house connected to a candlestick type phone from around 1907.  I can see the possibility that the old candlestick was replaced at some point with a more modern telephone style.  In such a case, the subset would have been left in place unless there was something wrong with it.

Of course, it could also be the case that the phone belonged to a collector who mated it to an older subset to make it work.  It's impossible to tell at this point.

[BDM]

So many possibilities exist, you could write a book. Lets take a rural Ma/Pa TelCo. Lets say they originally bought W.E. equipment for their exchange. Old model 20 stick phones with early external bell subsets(model numbers escape me right now).

Most of these rural independent TelCo's ran on a shoe-string budget. Years go by, lets say it's 1939. They decide it's time to upgrade their system to anti-sidetone. They don't want to pay for completely new subsets, they'd rather convert their own sets. So, they purchase 146 or 101 network coils, and the proper condensers. Then they get to work. Wallah!

Now, 70 years go by, and someone spots one of these subsets on Ebag. Next thing you know, it's on an internet telephone collecting forum and being accused of Franken-Subset by whomever.......................................

Yes, this has happened. Yes, independent TelCo's are guilty of minor mods, to some of the most ridiculous telephone crimes seen by man   W.E. followed a much more modest path, and performed minor mods. They used a playbook, and had the capitol to upgrade systems whole sale to the latest networks.

W.E. probably modified subsets the most. Keeping the bodies in service with as many as two or three network upgrades to them.

[Greg G.]

It could very well be the case that the subset was in somebody's house connected to a candlestick type phone from around 1907.  I can see the possibility that the old candlestick was replaced at some point with a more modern telephone style.  In such a case, the subset would have been left in place unless there was something wrong with it.

Of course, it could also be the case that the phone belonged to a collector who mated it to an older subset to make it work.  It's impossible to tell at this point.

Probably the first scenario.  The seller told me it belonged to his mother, and he was a gentleman in his 60s, maybe 70s.

So it sounds like it actually has two birthdays, April 07 and November 35.  If I was dyslexic, it would be a bd phone (Nov 53).

[Greg G.]

What I would like to do is put a dial in it and get it functioning as a regular phone, plus having the base and handset all done up nice and pretty, but lacking a shop and tools to do that, I would have to consider getting some bids on having that done, including having the dial installed.  Recommendations? 

Installing a dial will take you approximately five minutes total, and it's very easy to do.  There's plenty of information on the forum that we can direct you to, which tells exactly how to do it.  Once you've done it, you won't believe you ever considered paying somebody to do it.

If you do decide to install a dial (which personally, is what I would do), you'll need a few things:  Obviously you'll need a dial (#4, #5, or #6 type dials will work). 

Does it matter who made the dial, i.e. does it have to be a WE dial?

[BDM]

In a sense, no. In fact, it's not unknown for W.E. sets to have A.E. type dials installed. Again, independents did this when pinching pennies. W.E. sets could be purchased without dials. A.E. dials cost less (considerably less according to a well known collector). So in went A.E. dials. Now, as for personal preference, I wouldn't do it. I like my A.E. sets to have A.E. dials, and W.E. to have W.E. dials.

[Ellen]

Or is it just the bracket that was made in 07?

That is the date on which the patent for that item was applied, not the date on which it was made.  I have similar markings on other things - a jelly jar glass that says "Pat. Applied for Feb 2, 03", for instance.  And then that bracket was made to the same basic pattern for many years.