I found this site while trying to find some information on older telephones. After looking around some, everyone on here seems to know a great deal about rotary phones, so here's my story and questions...
My grandfather worked as a telephone man all around New England and Canada. He passed away several years ago, and my family has been helping my grandmother start to clean up a lot of their possessions...In the attic there was a ton of old telephone stuff, along with probably 15-20 of these old phones.
I've done some research the last couple of days and think that these are AE 80's, but would like to have that confirmed....they seem to look like what I've seen online, but they seem to have some differences as well. The only place I see AE is on the inside on the rotary part, while I also see the name Leich on the outside and, on the bottom of most of them, it says The North Electric MFG Co.
I welcome all questions and comments.....Thanks!
Tim,
What you have is a North Electric Galion (H6?) phone base with a Leich conversion shell and handset. The conversion kits were made to make the North Galion look more modern. I believe that they are somewhat rare and valuable. The one in your picture looks to be in excellent shape, so it is worth something. Don't throw it away (unless you want to use my garbage can ;)). Look at http://www.paul-f.com/500style.html (http://www.paul-f.com/500style.html) near the bottom of the page.
Leich Electric manufactured phones and parts for AE and was eventually bought by AE.
Larry
Thanks for the help, Larry! As I wrote, there are quite a few of them. At first they look to be in rough shape, but most of it is the effect of being in an attic for so long without being touched....
There are a few that have the chrome dial, a few with black, and the majority of them are plastic dials..
Do you know around what year they would be from?
And do you think they would be bakelite? Or would it being a conversion make them newer and not be bakelite?
Thanks again!
Tim
Yes, the green one in the link looks just like them....I believe some of them do have a longer back though...I'll have to check them out more..
Tim,
The shells are probably made of soft plastic (Tenite), not bakelite. There may be a date stamped or printed in the inside of the shell somewhere. The North base should have at least one date stamp. In one of your pictures, it looks like there may a "7 50" stamped on the base plate. I would guess that the shells were made between the mid 1950s to early 1960s.
Are all of the phones black? Other colors, especially others than beige, will be more valuable. One just sold on ebay a day or two ago.
Larry
Yes, they are all black....There are several bare shells in different colors, but I don't believe that they'd fit the same base...Most of the bare shells look newer and I believe have the name ITT on them....
However, there is one, maybe two, Leich shell's that are the conversion shells to make it a wall phone..
I have 4 of the phones at home with me now and on the base of one of them it is clearly stamped "H270 5 50"... that may be the date stamp you referred to..
Tim,
The ITT shells are probably for 500s. They would be identical to the Western Electric 500 shells and longer than the Leich shells. I, and others here, would be interested in seeing the wall phone version of the Leich shell. 1950 would be a believable date for the North base. Perhaps you can post some pictures when you have a chance. At any rate, do not throw away any of the phone stuff. All of it will be able to find good homes.
Larry
Larry,
I wasn't aware of a lot of things when we first were going through the stuff, so I will definitely be more aware next time....and as far as throwing away, that definitely won't happen..haha..I'm sure some stuff will be kept, but I'll be sure to post anything that will be up for grabs, and will try to get some more pictures to share and get more information and insight....thanks for your knowledge!
Tim
Tim, that phone even has what is called a "straight line" ringer. So it will work on today's lines. Many of those had frequency ringers that will not work today. Nice phone!
Welcome to the forum by the way. Be careful, before you're finished you will want to keep them all and buy more too!
Thanks Dennis..I think I know what you mean already....I'm enjoying looking at just the four ones that I have with me, and each one seems to have something different about it, either externally or internally.....Whether it's the pads on the bottom or the dial on the front...
We have tested one out and eventhough it's a little weak, it has a great ring to it....
Ok...went up this afternoon to check things out further...found what I thought was a Leich shell to convert one of the North Electric phones into a wall phone (pic 1 and 2)....but, it is much longer than the phones I have....also found an AE phone (maybe this is the AE 80 that I thought the others were--pic 3 and 4)....but, the Leich shell doesn't seem fit on this either....
Here's what else I found....
Pic 5 and 6: All of the shells are ITT, except for the olive green which was a Stromburg Carleson..
Have a few more pictures of different phones, including payphones, which I'll put up shortly..
Wish my attic looked like that!
You've lots of nice stuff from your Grandad there, folks on here are a very knowledgable and friendly bunch, and will go out of their way to help.
Don't hesitate to ask anything however dumb you might think it is, I've done many times and always recieved superb advice.
Scot
Here's the rest of the things I took pictures of...most of this stuff is just around the house, and wasn't up in the attic...but, nonetheless, thought I would share and maybe get some specifics on them?
Thanks for everything.
Pic 7: Just like the first couple of North Electric/Leich phones, but a different color.
Pic 8 and 9: My grandmother's phone..I think I've seen some of these online in the last couple days looking around, believe it was an AE 40 Monophone.
Pic 10: Wall phone...had name Kellogg and ITT on it.
Pic 11 and 12: Both AE Payphones...the one in Pic 12 fits into a corner..
Once again, any comments or questions are very much welcomed! Thanks
Tim
Those are nice payphones. The last one is a 3-slot panel phone. They would be installed in a wall or in a special boothette. I have a boothette w/ a single slot phone.
The 3-slot panel phones are hard to find. I would be interested in it if you decide to sell it.
Jim S.
Quote from: Tim on March 26, 2010, 02:08:03 PM
As I wrote, there are quite a few of them. At first they look to be in rough shape, but most of it is the effect of being in an attic for so long without being touched....
Thanks again!
Tim
Never judge them by the amount of grime on them. Here's an example of the filthiest phone I've acquired so far. All it took was an overnight bath in Oxiclean of the plastic parts, including the handset and line cord, to clean it up. I haven't even buffed it to any great extent. Perfectly functioning.
Briny -- Good job on that..I know what you mean...just today I scrubbed down 4 of these Leich phones and they look great...I won't give up on them just from some dirt and grime.....what parts do you put let soak in the Oxiclean? I've read a lot of people do that...
Jim -- Thanks for the information and interest on the panel payphone.. I think all of the phones in the last set of pictures will be staying in the family though.
Larry -- I've been looking around on the site more and saw that the Leich conversion body looks to belong to the Leich 700, which you had posted some information about in the auction section..I just don't have the base to put it on I guess......maybe some more digging will find one..
Quote from: Tim on March 26, 2010, 09:36:02 PMBriny -- Good job on that..I know what you mean...just today I scrubbed down 4 of these Leich phones and they look great...I won't give up on them just from some dirt and grime.....what parts do you put let soak in the Oxiclean? I've read a lot of people do that...
Jim -- Thanks for the information and interest on the panel payphone.. I think all of the phones in the last set of pictures will be staying in the family though.
Larry -- I've been looking around on the site more and saw that the Leich looks to be the Leich 700, which you had posted some information about in the auction section..I just don't have the body to put it on I guess......maybe some more digging will find one..
Tim,
I don't blame you for keeping them. If you ever decide to sell the 3-slot, please advise me.
I believe I have some BSP's (Bell system Practices) { Installer/service info}
for the 3/slot panel phone. If you are interested I will eventually get them scanned and can send you a copy.
You can find lot's of documentation on Doc Remco's site, He has some info regarding some of your newly acquired collection:
http://sc.infc.info/Remco maintains an extensive library of telephone documents.
He is currently off-line, I think he is still touring the US..
Jim
Quote from: Tim on March 26, 2010, 09:36:02 PM
Briny -- Good job on that..I know what you mean...just today I scrubbed down 4 of these Leich phones and they look great...I won't give up on them just from some dirt and grime.....what parts do you put let soak in the Oxiclean? I've read a lot of people do that...
Just the plastic parts. Involves totally dismantling the phone, but that's not difficult. Putting it back together sometimes is, but that's a different story. On this one, I also dismantled the 4-prong plug.
Quote from: Brinybay on March 26, 2010, 09:25:41 PM
Quote from: Tim on March 26, 2010, 02:08:03 PM
As I wrote, there are quite a few of them. At first they look to be in rough shape, but most of it is the effect of being in an attic for so long without being touched....
Thanks again!
Tim
Never judge them by the amount of grime on them. Here's an example of the filthiest phone I've acquired so far. All it took was an overnight bath in Oxiclean of the plastic parts, including the handset and line cord, to clean it up. I haven't even buffed it to any great extent. Perfectly functioning.
what is your recipe
Welcome Tim.
Those are some great finds in the attic! One of those Leich conversions sold on E-Bay a few days ago, here is the link.
http://tinyurl.com/y93bb6z (http://tinyurl.com/y93bb6z)
( dead link 05-31-21 )
It did not go for much, which is probably due to the color as beige or ivory are often the least desired.
Quote from: Kennyc1955 on March 26, 2010, 11:27:10 PM
Quote from: Brinybay on March 26, 2010, 09:25:41 PM
Quote from: Tim on March 26, 2010, 02:08:03 PM
As I wrote, there are quite a few of them. At first they look to be in rough shape, but most of it is the effect of being in an attic for so long without being touched....
Thanks again!
Tim
Never judge them by the amount of grime on them. Here's an example of the filthiest phone I've acquired so far. All it took was an overnight bath in Oxiclean of the plastic parts, including the handset and line cord, to clean it up. I haven't even buffed it to any great extent. Perfectly functioning.
what is your recipe
Oxiclean and enough hot water to cover the parts in a small tub. As to the amount of Oxiclean, I just use the "by guess and by golly" method.
haha that sounds like my cooking
:)
Quote from: McHeath on March 26, 2010, 11:54:36 PM
It did not go for much, which is probably due to the color as beige or ivory are often the least desired.
McHeath, thanks for that link....I was wondering what kind of pricing range they would be in, in case we're to sell a few...I'm assuming black would be about the same, since it's a commmon color?
Probably would go for a similar price. Colors like red, blue, pink and yellow would command a lot more attention and price, but I don't know if your model was made in those colors.
According to Paul F., the Leich Convertible was available in these colors: black, red, gray, yellow, light blue, white, beige, green, turquoise, pink, ivory, dark gray, rose beige, dark blue and clear. Quite a color lineup for a low-production set.
Tim,
Pictures 3 and 4 show an AE80. 8 and 9 show an AE40. The Leich convertible shell in pictures 1 and 2 looks just like the shell of my Leich 700 to which you referred. As far as I am aware, these shell fit only the Leich 700 base and were not used on any conversions. The shell and handset were designed to allow the phone to be used as either a desk or wall phone, hence the "convertible" designation. The handset has a thick handle with a triangular shape on the bottom side to fit into the cradle in two different orientations.
I think that the beige conversion phone which sold on ebay recently would have gone for more had it not been for the holes drilled into one side of the shell. I would think that even the black phones could fetch $30 if they're presently properly including good pictures showing them clean, and statements about the working conditions. A listing with a small, blurry picture of a dirty phone and a description stating that seller does not know what he/she is selling or whether or not it works usually results in a much lower sale price.
In case you do decide to sell any, I would be interested.
Larry
Tim --
You have really found a gold mine in your grandparents' attic.
The three slot panel coin phone is exceptionally rare! I know of only one other in existence. If you insure your collection, you should value this one at $3,000-$4,000 or more.
Quote from: wecoguy on March 30, 2010, 10:44:59 AM
The three slot panel coin phone is exceptionally rare! I know of only one other in existence. If you insure your collection, you should value this one at $3,000-$4,000 or more.
Thanks for that Wecoguy, I searched online quite a bit and really couldn't find information on the panel coin phone..
Quote from: LarryInMichigan on March 27, 2010, 10:41:21 PM
In case you do decide to sell any, I would be interested.
Larry
With how many of the North/Leich's we have I'm sure some will be sold. I'll send you a PM when I know for sure, and then I will post more of them afterward.
Over the weekend I went through the North/Leich's again (most of which we had just put into a big box), and found a couple different phones....
One was a complete Leich 700...It was a bit grungy, so I cleaned it up...and it had a newer cord on it, so I ended up switching that out for a cord from a North/Leich that I'll use for parts because it has some problems..The only trouble I'm having with it is hearing the other end, it cuts in and out...it comes back if I tap the hookswitch, but after a few seconds I can't hear anything anymore....
When I first opened it up, there was a piece of paper in it, and it ended up being the schematic which is included in the pictures....
Larry, the information from everyone in your post on your Leich 700 post is great, especially that brochure PDF link you attached.. Also, I noticed you mentioned you had a frequency ringer in yours....I noticed this on ebay when I was searching around and it looks the same as the ringer that is in mine, (just in case you're still needing one to fit it)......
http://cgi.ebay.com/Leich-Electric-100-Type-Telephone-Ringer_W0QQitemZ360248375415QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53e079f877 ( dead link 05-31-21 )
The only thing I don't understand about these phones is how they are stamped 105 and the paper I found says 100 series, yet they're called a 700?
The other phone I found was another AE 80.....from what I've seen on here (you guys are a great resource of information), along with the date stamp on the bottom, this one is older than the first one I found....This is stamped 10-61-2, while the other is 4-66-10...It has both cords coming out of the back, along with a dial with just the numbers..
Besides the outer differences, this one is quite heavy and the inside is also quite different from the other....this one has a large plastic piece under the dial, and the gears for the dial have a plastic case over them....the contacts for the hookswitch also have a plastic cover over them...I am a rookie, but haven't seen this in AE 80's before...
Any insight is appreciated!
Thanks - Tim
Tim:
That AE80 is a keeper. Most likely it has a bakelite handset, which make the whole set very heavy. The rural numbers wheel is kind of rare also.
Quote from: wecoguy on March 30, 2010, 10:44:59 AM
Tim --
You have really found a gold mine in your grandparents' attic.
The three slot panel coin phone is exceptionally rare! I know of only one other in existence. If you insure your collection, you should value this one at $3,000-$4,000 or more.
Russ,
I knew these were hard to find. I thought around $1,000 inc shipping, Hard.
After your reply I checked on the telephone lisstservers. This is a reply:
Impossible to find the W/E, it took me years, I have a rotary and have only
seen one other. I have never seen a 10 button Touch Tone beyond the
picture in the BSP. The W/E panel phone is completely unique, I believe that the
reason they are so hard to come by is because many were upgraded to the
single slot by changing the door and other things. The A/E were not a true
panel phone they just had a standard 3 slot inside. I have been told by the
old timers that the W/E panel phones sometimes had light kits in the
instruction cards ,I did not believe this until I found a BSP that shows lighted
instruction cards in early Charge-A-Call sets in the same time frame. Even
the single slot rotary panel phones are tough to get I did mange to get a
few of them in the box. One in 50 payphones was a panel phone they are much
rarer across the board. There is almost as much to learn about single slot
W/E payphone and panel phone as there is to learn about W/E 3 slots,they are
very collectable and old models are vanishing fast.
Tim,
I am still interested, but I don't think I can afford it.
If you want to sell it I could put a posting for "best offers" on the listservers for you.
Great phone,
Jim
In retrospect, If you decide to sell put it on Ebay, and I will will advise the listservers of the auction.
Jim
Jim,
Thanks for the further information and offers/interest.
The panel payphone is something that is going to be held onto. I just thought I would share it (along with the other phones in the same post) because they are pieces that have been displayed at my grandparents house for years and I thought they'd be of interest to everyone on here.
If things ever should change, I'll be sure to let you know.
Hi Jim --
Albeit of AE manufacture, this 3 slot panel phone is exceptionally rare. WECo 50Gs and others of that type (separate receiver and transmitter) are rare, but available from time to time and go for $1200-$1500 dollars. It was and is my opinion that Tim's AE would be valued at a multiple of 2 or 3 above one of those. As your responder stated the WECo 3 slot panel is virtually nonexistent. The one he has is the one I was aware of and he cites the existence of one more. His comment about the "innards" of the AE may have some impact on its value. However, it is the only one which has surfaced at this point and therefore must be considered unique.
JMO,
Russ
Quote from: wecoguy on March 31, 2010, 11:55:41 AM
Hi Jim --
Albeit of AE manufacture, this 3 slot panel phone is exceptionally rare. WECo 50Gs and others of that type (separate receiver and transmitter) are rare, but available from time to time and go for $1200-$1500 dollars. It was and is my opinion that Tim's AE would be valued at a multiple of 2 or 3 above one of those. As your responder stated the WECo 3 slot panel is virtually nonexistent. The one he has is the one I was aware of and he cites the existence of one more. His comment about the "innards" of the AE may have some impact on its value. However, it is the only one which has surfaced at this point and therefore must be considered unique.
JMO,
Russ,
Russ,
I did hear of a WE 3 slot panel selling at a show 5-6 years ago for $1,250. The biggest comment regarding it, was that no one had ever seen one offered at a show before.
This could be the same phone as the above posting.
For myself, I don't care if I eventually find an AE or WE 3 slot panel (I would prefer WE). When I find one I plan on installing it in a panel phone boothette.
I don't really collect payphones, but I do have 13 of them . I
Jim
Jim:
You really need to get one more and go beyond 13. ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: JorgeAmely on March 31, 2010, 06:42:40 PM
Jim:
You really need to get one more and go beyond 13. ;D ;D ;D
But 13 is my Lucky Number. D/P joined the forum on my 47th Birthday.
I also have a Gray Paystation WU telegram set (for those "Telephone your Telegram from here " signs).
However it was set up for credit only, so I don't count it.
Jim
QuoteLarry, the information from everyone in your post on your Leich 700 post is great, especially that brochure PDF link you attached.. Also, I noticed you mentioned you had a frequency ringer in yours....I noticed this on ebay when I was searching around and it looks the same as the ringer that is in mine, (just in case you're still needing one to fit it)...... http://cgi.ebay.com/Leich-Electric-100-Type-Telephone-Ringer_W0QQitemZ360248375415QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53e079f877
Thanks for the ebay link, but I can get by for now with a WE ringer which also fits. Regarding the model number, I do not know/remember how the scheme worked. Mine is stamper "105G-33 1/3" on the bottom. Part of the number indicates the ringer frequency.
Larry
Or he can just send one over to my house :)
Quote from: JorgeAmely on March 31, 2010, 06:42:40 PM
Jim:
You really need to get one more and go beyond 13. ;D ;D ;D
Jim --
I am a bit tardy is this posting, but this is the first time in over a week I have logged in here.
I am not aware of a 3 slot panel coin phone selling at a show 5-6 years ago for $1,250. I do know that some phones sell at shows for rather good prices because the sellers are not fully aware of their value (or sometimes just want to get their investment back and move the set.) A light gray 565 with round buttons went for $1 at the Maitland show in January. And a WECo 592 (the first speakerphone) sold for $350 at Lancaster last June.
Your having a panel phone boothette (which is somewhat of a rarity, too) makes it only natural that you would want a phone for it, preferably a 3 slot panel set!
I hope you will be able to obtain one someday!! :)
Best,
Russ
Tim,
Congrats on your first ebay sale (#150431225878)! I never expected it to go for that much.
Larry
Quote from: LarryInMichigan on April 11, 2010, 04:27:43 PM
Tim,
Congrats on your first ebay sale (#150431225878)! I never expected it to go for that much.
Larry
Thanks Larry. I think the presentation helped out a lot, but that was also one of the better conditioned ones (much like the one I sent to you). I was definitely surprised as well though. I thought that it would be in the $30's at best.....I'll probably put one or two more on ebay in the days coming, as well as maybe making a posting on the for sale forum on here..
Also, please let me know your thoughts once you recieve yours.
Tim
My theory is that many people would rather pay more for a clean, good-looking phone which already works than take a gamble on a dirty, pathetic-looking one for cheap (which is what I usually buy). Most of the $10 phones I have bought have actually cost me more like $150-$200 after all of the time I spent cleaning, polishing, and repairing them and replacing missing parts.
Larry