I've joined the candlestick club!

[Greg G.]

Brinybay-  Re. "bowser barf," was that a deliberate clever pun?

Yes.  In US English, "bowser" is a dog. 

[Greg G.]

Interesting find!  This is a definite :"Frankenphone".  The base is 40AL or similar.  the perch is from a 20T Interphone and the 706A and Bulldog transmitter are later still.  This was most likely constructed during the Depression or WWII from spare parts.  That brown wire looks suspiciously out of place.  There are no Bell system markings so this could also have come from one of the Independents.  I don't know much about that style of cup except that it is late vintage and is often found on RR apparatus.  Is it brass of zinc alloy?

As far as price is concerned, at least you didn't have to pay shipping.  I think on eBay this phone would be in the $60-70 range.  

I have a 40AL perch that someone painted gray but I do not have the correct bracket.  Your solid perch uses a slightly different bracket that may not work correctly with a drawn perch.  Or maybe its the other way around.  I need the bottom half of a solid perch, so if you would like to trade LMK.  I'll also trade that cup for a blank one that would be correct for a 40AL if you are interested.

Thanks for the info, now I know more about stick phones.  I don't know what metal the cup is made of, you'll have to inform me how to determine that.  PM me with more details about the trade, not quite sure what you mean regarding the bracket.  It stays attached when I moved one of the screws over to the middle.

[Sargeguy]

I was talking about the top part, the hook may not hit all the switches if you use the wrong perch/bracket combination.  I think it's older perch with a newer bracket so you should be all set. 

Here is a description of the problem:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4653.0

[Greg G.]

How do I hook this up to a subset to test it?