My finds for the week-end

[Phonesrfun]

I loaded up.

GTE model 880 speakerphone in white (Feb 1973)
GTE model 881 speakerphone in beige (Jun 1980)
WE 702B (Princess) beige (1964)
WE 307 black soft plastic manual Local battery talk, common battery signal (1946)

I haven't bought anything in months, and now I bought 4 in one day.  I should have my head examined.

[AE_Collector]

Where did you do your shopping Bill? An 880 in white is hard to find unless it looks more like an Ivory one but has "white color codes" on it. (Those are easy to find)! Not too many 881's out there either. There is an 882 available as well. Same as the 881 but more keys (more than the 4 on an 881) across the top as it is a 1A2 set.

Terry

[Phonesrfun]

The 880 is genuinely white, and it is in real nice condition, except that the foam rubber base pad on the main body is flakey.  They should have used cork, like they did for the speaker unit.  I had never seen an 881 before, and I haven't seen an 882, but what you describe makes sense.

Both the 880 and the 881 work.  The 880 just connects directly to the line and like any that I've seen, doesn't require the additional power supply.  The 881 has a wall wart with it, and when the wall wart is disconnected, it does not work.  Without doing any more research than that, it appears that the 881 needs the power supply to work.

[AE_Collector]

Correct. The 880's were line powered as long as the line is 48VDC. The "optional" power supply is for use on PBX's of 24VDC.

They styarted off using rubber mats and then changed to cord later on. Likely once it became obvious that the rubber likes to either turn into a big ball of goo or simply desintegrate.

Here's the AE Speakerphone history:
The 88 and 88T speakerphone versions of the AE 80.
The 880 Speakerphone
The 881 Speakerphone (can't find a picture at the moment)
The 882 Speakerphone (10A2 version of the 881)

Terry

[Phonesrfun]

Just in case I have the only 881 known in captivity (which I doubt), here are photos of both the 880 and the 881 I bought yesterday.

[Phonesrfun]

PS

Terry:

You also asked where I did my shopping.  It was at a couple of antique stores in a strip mall in Tri-Cities, WA (Pasco, Kennewick, and Richland).  Richland is where the nearby Hanford site is where Atomic research was once carried out during the end of WWII and during the cold war.  Fortunately these phones don't glow in the dark.

-Bill

[AE_Collector]

If I was any good at PhotoShop I'd prove you wrong!

I have a black and a white 881 though the white one has the afore mentioned tendancy to make people think that it is an Ivory 881. Mine are both Touch Call. So within what, a 300 mile range we have know of 881's in White, Beige and Black.

Terry

[stub]

Bill,         
     You have been a busy boy!!!!!!!!!! Great bunch of phones!!! My 880 in white is no where near as white as yours!!! Here's the color Terry was talking about, I'm waiting on the sunshine to peroxide mine!!
                                                                                                                                               stub

[canuckphoneguy]

Great finds!! I really like the black phones with the speaker. I need to travel to the US to do some antiquing. I think there's a lot more selection than here in Ontario.

[AE_Collector]

I need to travel to the US to do some antiquing. I think there's a lot more selection than here in Ontario.

Probably not a lot of AE phones and equipment in Ontario other than maybe in and around Brockville. Much more out west, and especially in BC.

Terry

[Russ Kirk]

Nice haul, looks like you'll be on the list for the find of the month.

[oldphon]

I didn't know AE made a set like thev882.  ITT and Stromberg did as well, in single and multiple-line versions.

[AE_Collector]

I didn't know AE made a set like thev882.

Hi Jeremy.

I only saw the AE 881 and 882 speakerphones well into the 80's. Probably 83 or 84 so very near "the end".

Terry