Garnet Red AECo 90 "Hospital Phone"!

[AE_Collector]

I love some of the descriptions of phones seen on ebaY! There is the good old standby "Extension Phone" tagged onto any common battery phones that don't have dials. The seller figures they MUST be an Extension Phone since it couldn't possibly be the main phone in a house...how could a phone call possibly be made with NO DIAL?!?! Operator, can I have Pacific 4950 please.

Anyway, I digress. Here we have an Automatic Electric "Hospital Phone" says the auction title. Why does the seller think it is a hospital phone I ask myself. The description says it was used in the HO ward so that is why they think it was a hospital phone.

While I open the pictures I am trying to figure out what HO ward would be an abreviation for. Then I see the number card "HOward" as in the Howard Exchange.....What a riot!

It is a nice EARLY AE 90 with the painted hook rather than a chrome hook. If I were in the hospital suffering from HO I would certainly appreciate touches like that. $125 starting price might be a bit over optomistic though.

http://cgi.ebay.com/VTG-HOSPITAL-WARD-TELEPHONE-RED-AE-AUTOMATIC-ELECTRIC-/400227043572
( dead link 02-09-22 )

Terry

[LarryInMichigan]

A very interesting interpretation of the exchange name   That phone is in Chesterton, IN, the place where I bought my early "forget me not" blue AE 80 a few weeks ago.

Larry

[AE_Collector]

A very interesting interpretation of the exchange name   That phone is in Chesterton, IN, the place where I bought my early "forget me not" blue AE 80 a few weeks ago.

Larry

What "Ward" was it from?

Being "Forget Me Not Blue". I'm afraid to ask!

Terry

[MDK]

This is quite interesting.

They actually had a whole ward for those suffering from HO. They were not allowed visitors (HO can be very contagious), but they had a nice red phone. $125 is not much to ask for a wonderful piece of history like this. 

[Dennis Markham]

That's the first Red AE90 I've seen with the matching red hook.  I've seen black ones from time to time on eBay but not one yet in red.  I did pick up a Green one at the phone show in Mason last year with the painted hook.  But as you said Terry, $125 seems a bit high.

[Greg G.]

This is quite interesting.

They actually had a whole ward for those suffering from HO. They were not allowed visitors (HO can be very contagious), but they had a nice red phone. $125 is not much to ask for a wonderful piece of history like this. 

HO - Hello Operator

[AE_Collector]

That's the first Red AE90 I've seen with the matching red hook.  I've seen black ones from time to time on eBay but not one yet in red.  I did pick up a Green one at the phone show in Mason last year with the painted hook.  But as you said Terry, $125 seems a bit high.

Likely all colors were available with the painted hook because I think that all the colors of AE90's were pretty much introduced at once. The initial design of the AE90 with the painted hook rather than chrome was short lived as it was built on an AE80 baseplate. They quickly went back to the drawing board and came up with a unique to the AE90 backplate and switched to a chrome hook which looked flashier and went better with the concept that the 80's and 90's allowed quick replacement of the case at refurbishing time and thus quick change of the color.

I have a couple of AE90's with silver painted hooks and my guess is that they repainted the hook silver rather than replacing the hook with a chrome one when the phone was being refurbished.

Terry

[deedubya3800]

I can't imagine a hospital that would be big enough to have an entire ward dedicated to the treatment of heterotopic ossification. That is a pretty absurd interpretation of the dial card. Either way, I do like the color. I just wish I were a bigger AE fan.

[Russ Kirk]

Anyway, I digress. Here we have an Automatic Electric "Hospital Phone" says the auction title. Why does the seller think it is a hospital phone I ask myself. The description says it was used in the HO ward so that is why they think it was a hospital phone.

Gosh,  looks like this seller is trying to drum up some fake excitement and collectibility for hospital related phones.  I would want to disinfect any phone that comes from a hospital because I would not want to catch the dreaded "HO" disease. 

Russ...

[LarryInMichigan]

I am glad that nobody has mentioned the obvious interpretation of what type of patients would be treated in the "HO" ward

[AE_Collector]

I am glad that nobody has mentioned the obvious interpretation of what type of patients would be treated in the "HO" ward

yeah, no one give it to Jay Leno or it will be on his "Things we found on ebaY" skit!

Terry

[Owain]

I am glad that nobody has mentioned the obvious interpretation of what type of patients would be treated in the "HO" ward

HO = hangover, no?

[AE_Collector]

An update on the "Hospital Phone". It has been listed, relisted, and relisted again (and again). It has slowly dropped in price from $125 to $39.99 now and the shipping has dropped to $18 now from $25 before (I think). I am surprised that it hasn't sold now being a good color and a rare early AE 90 with painted hook but maybe starting it at $125 has people now ignoring the listing. I know that I eventually tend to ignore items that ALWAYS come up in my searches month in and month out.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/150714551727

Terry

[HarrySmith]

Guess it won't be relisted now! Just sold at the opening bid.

[Dennis Markham]

I was tempted a couple of times to push the button on that phone.  I have a green one with the painted hook and thought about trying to collect others.  I think I saw another one recently on eBay.  I can't remember what color, maybe black with the painted hook.  So I'm left with a nice light green one...maybe Seafoam Green.  I bought that from our own Ray Kotke at the Mason Show a year or so ago.

It can be seen here:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2333.0

(I cannot get it right with the Forum software URL shortener.  Pilot error I know.)