Speaking of presidential phones and dial centers

[Phonesrfun]

A while back, I got myself an early Call Director phone.  It had a busted shell due to its age, but I thought I's put some lipstick on that pig (as they say in Washington) and play it up a bit.

I posted a picture of it at Colin's website at:

http://oldphoneguy.net/bgofftruck.jpg

But before I did, I downloaded the presidential seal and printed it off on my inkjet printer and made a dial center out of it.  I have a word document with this pre-sized if anyone wants it.

I also printed up some imaginary desi strips for the keys, as you can see in the picture.

Then, I proceeded to spin this imaginary tale of once upon a time when I was a tourist in DC shortly after JFK was killed, I saw a phone company truck pull out of the White House driveway going around the corner a little too fast.  The 630 Call Director had not been properly stowed away in the truck, and as it was turning onto Pennsylvania Avenue, going a little too fast, the phone flew off the truck onto the sidewalk at my feet.  Thus the broken shell.  Needless to say that when I picked it up and saw the Presidential Seal, I just knew I had the real thing.

Anyway, nobody bought my story, but I must admit, it fits right in with the old "it just fell off the truck" stories of old.

Making dial centers and the clear acetate covers is pretty easy.  You can get a circle cutter from Jo Ann Fabrics for not too much money, and they make perfect circles every time, although you need to experiment with the sizing a bit.  Then a little partial nick with the edge of a hole punch to make the little notch to keep the center from spinning around works good too.

I can post some pictures of this process if anyone is interested.

So, there you have it, my presidential phone story.

-Bill

[JimH]

Bill, a while back there were some authentic White House dial centers on Ebay....I forget what they went for, but here's the pic I downloaded:

[JimH]

Here's JFK's phone from Air Force One...a mushroom phone (missing the hood) with that dial center pictured above.  What would THAT go for??!!

[Phonesrfun]

I don't know what it would go for.

But, I'll raise you one.

Here's a picture of JFK actually using the phone.

-Bill

[Phonesrfun]

OK, one more pres phone shot before I go to bed:

Johnson and his "Texan super-sized" Call Director

-Bill

[Dan]

You better watch using supersized johnson in the same sentence

[JimH]

I've also got a book on the Kennedy White House, and they've got black Princess phones in almost every room!

[Stephen Furley]

I don't know what it would go for.

But, I'll raise you one.

Here's a picture of JFK actually using the phone.

-Bill

When somebody dies young we always think of them as being young, and don't realise how old they would be if they were still alive.  In the same way I find it difficult to think of Queen Victoria as ever having been young, because almost all the photographs of her show her as an old woman.  JFK would be 92 this year if he was still alive.

[McHeath]

Good point about JFKs age if he lived.  The old man across the street is 93, so they were contemporaries.  That old fellow was also WW2 navy, and he still climbs up in his trees with a chainsaw and prunes. 

Queen Victoria was young?!