I know absolutely zilch about old magneto phones let alone ones used in mining.
At any rate here are two that a friend of mine found in an old barn in western PA coal country.
The Magneto's still tickle the bells when cranked so that's a plus.
I think it's a neat find, even though they are pretty beat up.
Sometimes, there's more charm in something that looks like it's lived a life and has been used than in polishing it up and making it look like new... :)
If they work, then just clean them and leave them as they are (though, I'd remove those dry cell batteries as they look like they're very unhappy!), but that's just my opinion... :)
Many times old telephones were hooked up as an intercom between a house and a barn.
Magneto phones were handy for this application because they had built in signalling.
JMO,
Jim S.
They are not mine phones you cant have sparks in coal mines. Mine phones are heavey and sealed. Similar to explosion phones.
No Phone is beyond restoration.
D/P
Yeah, I agree, they would look cool as is. Put one in the house and one in the garage. Presto, your own personal intercom system. Yes, the batteries have to go. There may also be some new pets hidden in there, lots of spider webs!
first thing I'd do was to get rid of those batteries.... yick! they are leaking....
They could have been used in mining, just not inside the coal mine. Those are some nasty looking phones-I would take them apart and clean them up at the very least. They are not valuable, so they would make good subjects to practice on if you did restore them.
Yeah, a little TLC will go a long way there.
Very cool find indeed.