Very Cool Bakelite Phones....Stromberg and Automatic Electric Mono

[John S]

Here are some very cool phones I found this morning.  They are Automatic Electric and Stromberg Carlson phones.  I never seen these types of phones.  Everything seems to made of Bakelite.  They are very cool looking.  I paid 20.00 bucks each.  The body types are really cool on the AE. Everything seem to look good.  

John

[Contempra]

Very nice phones Johns... Good find

[LarryInMichigan]

Great find.  I have been looking for an AE type 1A with a ringer base, but they sell for prices beyond my budget.

Larry

[AE_Collector]

I think the AE's will turn out to be Intercom phones with the DC buzzers and the likely induction coil handsets. I don't know much about these nor do I have any of them but I think there IS a version of the 1A with this type of base that has an induction coil in it. Either a type 31 or type 32, I keep mixing them up. Stub will know.

A great find for $20 each though!

Terry

[stub]

John S ,
            WOWOWOW !!!!!!!!!The 2 AE 's are AE Type 32A14 Handset Desk Manual phones (non-dial 32's).Yes, on the induction coil handset. That is a SL single coil AC ringer , AE Catalog 4055, 6-25-1934, pg. 14-15. There is one handset extension phone ( last pic) that has a AC buzzer and another that had a DC buzzer with a push button( like the one Doug sold ). One intercom ( AE Catalog  4033, 7-1939, pg. 10 ) has a phone that is identical on the outside to the 32 but has the buzzer inside . The other intercoms almost always have one to ten buttons, black or white, and don't come with ringers just buzzers.  I've seen some of the AE 32's go from $56. to $300.
           Don't know anything on the SC phone.
           Man those are sweeeeeeeeeeet!!!!!!!!!    stub        
Terry,  I haven't seen or read about an induction coil in the base of a extended base 1A (32) but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Might be a little crowded in the base for a induction coil, capacitor, and ringer. stub                 left click on pics to enlarge
John S here's link to download the AE Catalog 4033 Jul 39  Private Telephone Systems And Accessories Ocr R
              http://tinyurl.com/ko2rc69

[John S]

Stub,

Thanks for the link/info. I will have to read it carefully.  I bought them because I never seen anything like them.  The body shape was really cool, unusual. The way the bottom  comes off, just one screw.  Believe it or not, they had 2 more.  I went the first day of the sale and they were price 40 bucks.  I bought some Western Electric items.  I left the AE behind and went back the second day for 1/2 off.  I am not a expert on AE, just Western products.  They look really cool and I bought them for 20 bucks.  I took the best ones.  (The ones I left behind) One of them was the same as the two I bought, but it was broken where the handset sits.  I am not sure what you call them, but the 4 pins that surround the handset, two of them were broken.  The other one was the same body type but had a dial to it.  The dial spun and made a nice sound to it.  That was broken also, the whole cradle where the handset sits, was broken in half.  It was just hanging there.  Maybe I should have taken it? It was in bad shape though and priced higher.  He worked for the telephone company.  He had tons of Western Electric phones and Automatic Electric. I will try to take more pictures of it....Thanks guys!!!

John

[Doug Rose]

John....excellent find and you sure can't beat the price. The 32A14 are one of the most Deco phones that were ever made. Was the seller a collector or did he work for the phone company. Home Run!!!....Doug

[John S]

Doug,

I think he worked for the phone company.  He had all types of phones...your basic Western Electric, 554's -500's.  Had had Automatic Electric wall phones , still in use in his garage and inside his home.  You just never know what people will have....

John

[AE40FAN]

Wow!  Those are great finds at great prices.  They also look to be in excellent condition and should clean up well...

[AE_Collector]

Great info Stub! You are likely correct about induction coils not being in the base. I had in my mind that a version existed with induction coil in the base and NO ringer in there but I am not certain at all. That is an AC ringer? I wonder if the thumb screw looking thing top dead centre is NOT part of the circuit but an adjustment possibly for volume? It looked like the typical part of a DC buzzer that the circuit goes through that breaks as soon as he coil energizes to de-energize it (repeat as neccesary).

Too bad you didn't get them all John. The cradles are easily broken on these so that is quie common. You could probably find replacements for $30 - $40 each though it might take awhile to find. I think RayK makes them as well. It would have been nice to have them just to have Stub analyze exactly what each was.

Terry

[stub]

Terry,
        The AE 7 CB had an induction coil in it but the base is metal.
        " I wonder if the thumb screw looking thing top dead centre is NOT part of the circuit but an adjustment possibly for volume?"  Yes it is and it is AC .           stub

[HowardPgh]

The induction coil is in the receiver of the round phone with bell in the base.  When you get the receiver out there will be three screws on the back.  When you take off the diaphragm there are three magnet poles.

[stub]

Here's what the receiver looks like.  stub