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Vintage Crosley 302 Telephone Case

Started by Sargeguy, July 11, 2011, 03:40:44 PM

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Sargeguy

I do not remember seeing these at Pottery Barn:

http://tinyurl.com/6j7qwno

Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

AE_Collector

You have to check the inside pictures to see that in fact it is an early wireless model.

Terry

MDK

Crosley pioneered the wireless 302 in the 1930's. I'm certain those are quite valuable.

Sargeguy

#3
Is that a 6J dial???  Is there such a thing???
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

old_phone_man

It is a 6D.
That would be the type of number 6 dial that Western Electric would have used for colored 302's. The only difference for these dials was the Ivory colored paint on the housing. Typically you see this earlier style of 164 dial plate on them and notice the "Dot" just above the finger stop. Once again typical of this kind of setup with a transparent finger wheel.

Sargeguy

So does the white rim stick up slightly above the housing like a #6 does?  
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

old_phone_man

Yes it does. The case on the number 6 dial is only slightly taller than that of the number 5 dial and thus will show move "Reveal".

Wallphone

Sargeguy, Why don't you wait until you get your new Crosley 302 and answer your own questions and tell us what you ended up with. ;D I had my eye on that auction and actually threw a bid on it at the end. I wonder how the seller came to the conclusion that it was a Crosley? Everything looks to be WE to me. And in typical eBay fashion, the seller didn't include a picture of the crack in the back. I guess that just mentioning it was good enough for him (or her).
Doug Pav

Willytx

Is this the wireless phone where "Can you hear me now" started? Historic.

Adam

Quote from: Wallphone on July 12, 2011, 07:51:00 AM
I wonder how the seller came to the conclusion that it was a Crosley? Everything looks to be WE to me.

Seriously, I would think this person knows absolutely nothing about phones.  They looked for similar items on eBay, saw the very commonly listed Crosley 302 which looks almost identical to the original and assumed that what they had must have been named "Crosley".
Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

Sargeguy

I actually use "-Crosley" as one of my search filters to eliminate those phones.  This one popped up in the similar items suggestions at the bottom of the page.  Hey Doug thanks for jacking up the price!  :-* My max was $60 so it was a squeaker.  I already have a broken rose colored handset that I will need to figure out how to repair, and a 5J dial if I so chosose.  I still need the caps and a cord.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Willytx

That was a good catch, Sargeguy. I don't bother to look when I see Crosley and grumble when somebody adds 'Vintage' to it.

Sargeguy

Well the phone arrived today.   



I was a little disappointed that the open fingerwheel is cracked. 



But I was thrilled to find that the dial card is an old acetate "Please Wait for Dial Tone" under the sticker.



I was also thrilled to find that the original handset cord is also present, although it is cut at the end (should be an easy fix).



The crack in the back is relatively small and should also be an easy fix. 



Matches my busted handset perfectly.  Now I only need caps and I'm in business.



Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

I started working on the phone.  The dial is a little too beaten up so I switched it with a NOS 5J I have, dated 4-53.  The 6D is 11-53 so the dates kind of match.  The network I added is also from 53 but is a Northern Electric, as is the condenser.  When I opened it up,  I realized that the cords had been cut on the inside when they removed the coil, condenser and ringer.  The wires from the switch are also cut.

I am still trying to figure out the fix for the handset.  I was thinking of taping it up and filling the body with epoxy or that crack sealing foam that hardens.  Super glue did not stand up to the toddler test when I tried it before. 
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

HarrySmith

Nice catch. A bargain for a Rose phone. As far as restoring the interior I would rcommend cannibalizing an old 302 base. They come up cheap on eBay a lot or someone here may have some in a junk pile. I have a couple I got off eBay cheap but they are slated to become 5302's so I am not willing to part with them. For the handset it appears the backbone is thick enough to drill both sides and insert a metal rod for strength and support. There is a thread going about chemical restoration that has some good info. I believe one of those chemicals might be used to fuse the pieces together, then sand and polish.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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