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Unusual Black AE/GTE 80/80E

Started by Stormcrash, June 13, 2019, 11:15:14 PM

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Stormcrash

I recently stumbled across an eBay listing for a "new" in box black rotary GTE 80E
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-BLACK-70S-GTE-ROTARY-PHONE-IN-ORIGINAL-BOX/333222545177?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649
( dead link 02-16-21 )

The pictures were a bit fuzzy but it looked good. The listing mentioned the reserve hadn't been met so I made an offer of $22 that the seller accepted. The phone arrived today and it's a little more complicated than the listing and blurry picture let on.

As I took it out of it's box (marked 80 E, R Black) I noticed that it had a flat coiled handset cord, and some odd details and realized the shell is painted.  Flipping it over revealed that the shell was originally white, and a metal baseplate.  So definitely not a new 80E, but likely a refurbished and redressed 80.  The paint job backs this up as it looks good overall, but with a few minor oddities.  The GTE Automatic Electric writing was blurred from the coat, and the plungers and faceplate clip have black paint on the tips, meaning they were left in place during painting.  You can see a little orange peel effect in it but only if you know to look.

Cracking it open gives an interesting mix.  Inside the handset the transmitter and receiver are marked AE, but the handset shell has GTE molded inside the transmitter cup.  Seems like the old elements were put into a new handset shell.  Opening the base seems to be all 80 components except for parts of the dial, which has an 80E backplate and screw on fingerwheel.  The network is a spade terminal one with the AECO logo on it.

The phone works well overall, it rings and talk and transmit sound fine.  The dial needs some work though, as it's very slow to return.  The dial plate shows some sings of wear, so it may have been refurbished more than once, and some corrosion has occurred around the riveted feet.  It seems like it was professionally done back in the day based on the paint, handset cord, and correctly labelled box.  Overall not a bad phone but not quite what I was expecting, so I'm feeling a little disappointed that it was refurbished but it's still a good looking phone.

Stormcrash

And a few more pictures showing the insides of the phone and handset

Babybearjs

looks like it was made from old parts.... the handset is the same as was used in the #86 and #87 phones... so it may be from the same time period. (C. 1960's) as for the rest, more recent... 1970's- on... nice phone!
John

Stormcrash

Thanks, it definitely seems to be an older phone that's been redressed as an 80E. I used to think the 80E was rather ugly, but I've come around on it quite a bit.  And thanks for the information on the dates from the capsules, I looked for the threads on how to decode the old AE date stamps but I can't seem to find it right now.

Also does anybody have advice on the best way to clean up the corrosion around the feet, and how to lubricate/clean the slow dial?  I'd also be curious on how people feel about painted sets?  This one seems to have been done nicely as a professional refurbishment, but the goal was obviously to be good enough and not to make it perfect.

Jim Stettler

You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

HarrySmith

Maybe the "R" marking on the box indocate refurbished? Is there anything else on the box?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

Stormcrash

Quote from: HarrySmith on July 08, 2019, 05:30:27 PM
Maybe the "R" marking on the box indocate refurbished? Is there anything else on the box?

I'm inclined to agree with you on that. I don't think there are any other markings on the box, but it's been stored away at the moment so I'd need to pull it out to be sure

Payphone installer

They also made it with a lighted dial.