Automatic Electric Brass Rotary Telephone On eBay

[magicbrain]

eBay Link:

http://tinyurl.com/y37b3k7u ( dead link 03-21-21 )

I have seen these crop up on eBay from time to time - WE candlestick base with repro? AE receiver & perch, etc. - Any one know who made these?

I bought one like it cheap a while back, but on it the AE parts were original & used to rebuild a damaged AE 1A

[Key2871]

Another phoneco special?

[jsowers]

It may be Chicago Old Telephone. Robby? Did you make this one? We have a Forum member who used to work there. Here's a thread from back in June about two similar phones and Robby chimed in on pages 5 and 6 describing what they made from parts. This pne looks a lot like those two phones, but it has an older AE handset.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=20702.0

[rdelius]

Not cot. would have  used a solid brass AE dial and fingerwheel and  installed an origional hookswitch

[Pourme]

It's my understanding, these are cast from original by a third party. The quality of fit and finish varies almost per piece. Not original, not worth a lot, but can be really nice phones to own, display and use.  Buyer beware...

[dc4code]

Looks amazing!

What is the Model of this telephone?

[Pourme]

~

Some of it was born as a Automatic Electric 1a, Probably in the mid 30's. A beautiful phone in it's own right.

[HarrySmith]

That might be one Ron & Mary had made for PhoneCo.

[FABphones]

That might be one Ron & Mary had made for PhoneCo.

I don't know much anything about Phoneco.
Could you please explain. Thanks. 

[HarrySmith]

PhoneCo is a company here that sells old phones & parts. As a matter of fact the only one in this country, located in Wisconsin. They have been around for a lot of years. Ron & Mary Knappen are the owners. Ron bought a lot of large phone hoards over the years. The fix up & sell old phones. Ron has set up with companies overseas to produce some reproduction parts. In Cina & Korea if I recall correctly. They build phone to sell, not necessarily authentic. I think this is an example of one of theirs. Here is the website: http://www.phonecoinc.com/
The are trying to sell the business by the way.

[kleenax]

PhoneCo is a company here that sells old phones & parts. As a matter of fact the only one in this country, located in Wisconsin. They have been around for a lot of years. Ron & Mary Knappen are the owners. Ron bought a lot of large phone hoards over the years. The fix up & sell old phones. Ron has set up with companies overseas to produce some reproduction parts. In Cina & Korea if I recall correctly. They build phone to sell, not necessarily authentic. I think this is an example of one of theirs. Here is the website: http://www.phonecoinc.com/
The are trying to sell the business by the way.

This phone could have been assembled by Phonecoinc.com from original and repro parts. Notice that it has a Western Electric dial candlestick bottom housing and cover. LOTS of good parts on this phone though! There was a major repro-producing guy in CA named "Billiard" that also had many many parts repro'd in brass back in the 70's & 80's. That high cradle in solid brass could very well be a polished original (can't tell from the pics), and rather sought after by several collectors. It's not a CHEAP repro job for sure!

[rdelius]

The cradle and base are reproduction.The  cradle has a different diameter to fit WE style bases.THe hook switches look good but the copper contact springs are weak.
i have put old ones in to stiffen the action.I have my doubts that Phoneco assembled it because the dial is old. Phoneco used lots of dials off type 80E sets and used stickers over the triangies and painting the plastic finferwheel and chassis black leaving the ugly fingerstop.Those  reproduction cradles are solid heavy brass and look nice though but will not fit origional AE bases unless the bases are modified with a bigger hole

[HarrySmith]

I have seen brass repro parts from PhoneCo, maybe this is not one of thiers. Just a guess on my part, hence the word "might" in my post. I have been wrong before

[rdelius]

Phoneco has the parts as used but too nice for them.They would most likely not used a type 38 handset and a type 51 dial. Almost everything Phoneco sold had a Bell logo on the dial, even if Bell did not use it

[HarrySmith]

It looks like they were made to go together going by the pin in the base and the corresponding slot in the cradle. You are correct Robbie, parts too nice for them!