Do you make all your Collectible Telephones work?

[Doug Rose]

It sounds like a simple question, but its not. Most of my telephones fit much better on my shelves with out line cords. Unless it is a dated phone, with all dates matching, or a matching cloth line cord; I remove the line cords.

Dated phones: what if you have a perfect dates matching phone and it is not working, do you remove the part that is not working and replace it with a different date, or do you leave it as found. I leave it as found. I'm not going to have 100s of phones ringing at the same time, even if I could.

If it is for resale, it will work like it should. If its for my collection, it sits in it's best displayable condition. I don't want to ruin a phone, by replacing parts, since its not going to be working anyway.

I saw Greg's dilemma on his wonderful Old brass 202. For me its no dilemma at all, its a display phone. I don't want anyone but me touching it anyway. When I show my collection to someone, its like you say to your children look with your eyes and NOT your hands......Doug

[Greg G.]

Good question.  The short answer is - most of them, yes.  Phones are an offshoot of my interest in antiques in general, and my preference is for functional antiques.  My first phone, the NEC, I fully intended to be a functional phone that I was going to use.  But the more I learned about phones, that desire waned.  

I prefer functional phones, but I'm getting more practical about it.  Out of 53 phones, 9 have something wrong with them that I intend to get functioning, 3 are decor only.  I only have two that I actually use, they're both 500 sets.  I rotate one of them with with the seven or eight 500s and AE 80s every now and then.

[bellsystemproperty]

I try to use all of my phones, but there is not always a place to put them. Example, there are five connected and working phones on my computer desk, and then on my other desk there are two key phones. I kind of have a display, it is a shelf full of phones, but it really is intended for storage until the phones are connected. Might as well make them look good as they are waiting to be put into service though.

I don't have any 202s or candlesticks, but if I had one I would probably not use it. I find the handsets not as comfortable as a G handset. My most used phone is the 564, a key phone that is similar to the 500.

[bingster]

I try to make them all work, even if they're going to end up in a box or on the shelf.  Like Doug, I tend to remove the mounting cords, though.

[Dan/Panther]

I try to make all of my phones work, and will replace parts with ONLY the exact matching part. That is why I have so many 500's.
If I plan to display a phone only, I remove the lines cord, roll it up and store it under the dial.
D/P

[cihensley@aol.com]

If I plan to display a phone only, I remove the lines cord, roll it up and store it under the dial.
D/P

Very innovative D/P

Chuck

[gpo706]

Gosh!

79 phones and 40 work perfectly.

9 spares sets (scrappers), 5 basket cases and 7 Dictographs which I'm still trying to figure out,

4 that did work but I "borrowed" line cords to get some other up and running.

6 convertion jobs, tested and work but need a rewire.

Ideally I like to prove to myself that anything not for spares can work, but some previously working sets "donate" some bits (mostly line cords) for others to test.

Guess I need to buy more line cords, basically.

79, -9, -5, -7, -4, -6  = 48/79.

I think...

[Phonesrfun]

Most of mine work, and as such, they mostly have line cords.  I have very few that do not work, but I do have a few, and I have some parts for project phones too.  For me, making them work is more fun than sanding, shining, polishing, painting and dusting.

[stub]

Doug,
         All the common battery phones I have work . I haven't gotten around to getting the local battery ones working yet.
       I'm like Bill, the fun is to get them working again , but it's WORK to get that shiny, slick as glass , look!!!!!!!!
       I rotate my phones a lot and even have the necessary evil , touch pad in series, with these phones to press 1 for English. The Kellogg and AE candlesticks that I have do have the working subsets. My AE payphone is not fully functional at the moment, no coin relay, but I plan to rectify that when parts come my way.
        I agree that the cords are a problem when displaying , but I need more shelves anyway, good excuse!!
        Thanks to all of the folks here on this Forum for helping me bring these great phones back to a useful life    !!!!!!!!!!     stub

[Russ Kirk]

Most of mine work, and as such, they mostly have line cords.  I have very few that do not work, but I do have a few, and I have some parts for project phones too.  For me, making them work is more fun than sanding, shining, polishing, painting and dusting.

Oh yeah!  The dusting.  The part my wife and dislike the most.

Glad to hear other collectors hide the cords inside the sets.  I do that too.

But this makes me want to hook up and get my sets working.  It will give me a good winter project when I'm not on the golf course.

Russ...

[jsowers]

Early on I cared about the phone working, but the last several years I admit to not testing some 500s and 554s after I clean and refinish them. Most of them work anyway. Only if they're something special like a 500P or U do I go that extra mile. I like to have matching period-correct handset and mounting cords if at all possible and leave the mounting cords attached to the phone and let them dangle behind the shelf or sit neatly behind the phone.

Some cords have plugs and some just have spades. I use a twist-tye or a piece of station wire in a matching color if possible to keep the mounting cords in a neat circle. To me the cords are one of the most difficult parts to make correct, so it's a challenge sometimes, but I like it.

I do like to have the dials working, but I find that usually it only takes a little squirt of contact cleaner with a little silicone added. I don't disassemble the dial or clean and polish all the screws or bells. If the inside is dusty, I'll clean that out. I like to have the phone new-looking but not overly shiny. Soft plastic has a slightly dull sheen that I kind of like. I use Novus 2 to polish, but with elbow grease and not a buffer.

I like to make sure Princesses and Trimlines light as intended and I like the fingerwheels to be correct, uncracked and with a repro dial card if the original isn't there. I don't pay a lot of attention to the base of the phone. If it's rusty or a leather foot is shiny, it generally stays that way. I try not to get phones with damaged feet, but a little rust is fine with me. It's the part I see that  matters most.

Having all the parts date matching is nice, but I don't go out of my way to make it happen. If I have a part handy that looks better and the one on the phone isn't original, I'll swap it out to make it look more original. I'm kind of a purist at heart--I like the parts to be bone stock like it came from the factory. The phones that are the most original are my favorites.

I also take lots of before and after pictures and I get the dates of the parts in those pictures to help me document the phones.

[Kenny C]

Every phone phone i have (except one) works.

I do not remove the cords I have a shelf with small squares in the back to run the cords down.

I like my phones to be shiny but its not that all important to me. I see a phone as a device that should be used as it was 40,50,60 years ago so if i can get it shiny that is good but as long as it isn't dirty it is fine like that.

I do not use the 500's as much as a 302. The 302's are much more compact and have all of the functions of a 500 except the adjustable ringer volume. But you can always move the gongs. In a month I may use a 500 out of about 3 of those days. The 302 is my real work horse. The F1 handset isn't all that bad.

[bingster]

I do not remove the cords I have a shelf with small squares in the back to run the cords down.

I think that's probably the best solution if you've got shelves you can drill through the back of.  No need to keep track of which cord goes to which phone like I do.

The F1 handset isn't all that bad.

It's all personal, I guess, but I've never had a problem with the F1, either.  I find the E and F handsets fit the contours of my palm more comfortably than the sharply squared G handset.

[Kenny C]

I feel the same way

I find the E and F handsets fit the contours of my palm more comfortably than the sharply squared G handset.

I keep the line cords on so if i want to hook up that phone then I dont have to open the case and wire the cord back in i find it much easier to do it that way.

[Tonyrotary]

My wife also finds the 302 F1 handset easy to use. So the 302 gets way more use than the 500.