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Telcer Hollywood Telephone (AE 1A Modern Reproduction)

Started by LM Ericsson, August 30, 2011, 09:47:13 PM

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LM Ericsson

This is a what I believe a Telcer Hollywood telephone from an antique store in Virginia Beach, Virginia. I believe it is of Italian origin. It has a electronic ringer, not the ringers you hear in today's telephones, but a clicky sound ringer. I would like to know the value of these telephones. Also, which terminals on a four prong would the wires on the line cord go?
Regards,
-Grayson

GG



That one's in pretty good shape, you should pounce if you think the price is reasonable.

Basically it's a replica of the Italian version of the AE 1A Monophone, with the Italian cradle design whereby the entire top of the cradle moves up & down.   In the original US version, there is a single plunger in the center of the cradle, that consists of a metal plunger with another smaller plunger concentrically inside it on a stiffer spring to slightly cushion the impact of the heavy receiver.  In the UK version of the Monophone, the hookswitch is a bar that occupies the full width of the cradle.

IMHO Telcer did a decent job with the repro.  They used an Italian dial of that time period, made by FACE Standard, which is the Italian ITT affiliate.  However you can easily substitute an AE dial if you prefer. 

The handset is a pretty decent copy except that the length of the transmitter and receiver areas is too long compared to the original (at least the USA original, perhaps these were different in Italy as well and it's completely accurate?). 

That clicky thing that "rings" is actually a mechanical buzzer that runs on ringing current.  I have never heard a phone buzzer that sounds quite right, this because at 20 Hz, they all sound "clicky-clack" rather than "buzzzz."  However if you don't like the buzzer, disconnect it and find an AE ringer box. 

If you replace the dial with an AE dial, put cloth cords on it, and use an external ringer box, you'll have something that many people at first glance will think is an actual AE 1A Monophone (until they look more closely, heehee). 

As for wiring, "trial & error," but you can't hurt it by experimenting.  All you need is a 2-wire connection for talking & dialing.  Possibly one more wire for the buzzer.

This by the way is the "working man's affordable color Monophone."   Most of us around here can't afford original Monophones in color, but this provides an easy route to a substitute.   

However, if you're planning to sell it, you need to make clear that it's a Telcer repro, not an original AE 1A. 

By this time both of us have probably permanently ticked-off the folks here who consider reproductions to be sacrilege, but we'll be glad to agree with their point of view if they'll send us original AE 1As in whatever color we happen to like:-)

LM Ericsson

Thanks for the information. Also, when I first bought this telephone, it had a alphanumeric dial face that was a stick-on. The numbers and letters were worn off so I decided to reveal the original dial face.
Regards,
-Grayson

GG



Yeah I got one like that also; same result: it's now a numeric dial.  I have a few of these in my "in box", one of which is going to get done up with cloth cords etc. and an AE dial just to see how it looks.  Not for sale of course. 

paul-f

Quote from: GG on August 31, 2011, 10:28:11 AM
Basically it's a replica of the Italian version of the AE 1A Monophone, with the Italian cradle design whereby the entire top of the cradle moves up & down.   

Note that earlier phones also had cradles that move up and down.  An early example is from Loeffler...

  http://www.paul-f.com/deskman.htm#loeffler
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

GG



Yes, and German Post type W48 is also known for that, along with KTAS Denmark, and a few others.   But the Telcer is very much an AE 1A replica, and the proof of the pudding is that the inside of the transmitter horn has the same oval pattern of holes as the original AE, which more than anything else is an idiosyncratic AE feature that would have taken deliberate effort to copy. 

Italy almost certainly had a version of the AE 1A, as it's turned up in some pictures (though not clearly enough to make out the cradle details, and always with receiver on hook), and even on an Italian payphone token with an engraving of it on one side.  So it must have been pretty widespread even if not a universal standard there.  Though, I've never seen the actual Italian 1A first-hand.  So whoever can come up with one of these would provide an answer to the puzzle.  And also the puzzle of whether the base was deeper than on the US and UK version, and whether (unlikely but anyway) there was a buzzer much less a ringer inside. 

AE_Collector

An amazingly accurate reproduction of the AE 1A other than as you say the not quite AE looking dial and especially the base ring. It almost seems surprising given the accuracy of everything else that they did such a poor job of the base ring unless the Italian AE original was done in the same fashion.

Initially I suspected the picture was of a repro 1A but with an original AE handset on it they did such a good job.

If the reproduction phone was from the 1990's or 2000's it would have one of the awful looking flat coiled handset cords on it.

Terry

LM Ericsson

Here is a link that sells these telephones and some others similar http://www.telephoneteca.com/tempusphones.htm
Regards,
-Grayson

GG



The not-quite-AE dial is actually a legitimate Italian dial mechanism, and legit size & spacing of holes and overall layout.  That mechanism was developed by Italian ITT affiliate FACE-Standard in the late 1970s or early 80s.  You'll also find the same mechanism but with different styles of fingerwheel etc., on phones made by Indetel (ITT affiliate, Mexico) and phones made by RWT-Elektrim (major Polish telecom manufacturer, not an ITT affiliate).

Originally that dial was intended to have a useful life of about 5-million cycles, and be fully sealed by ultrasonic welding of the plastic housing, on the theory that it would never need to be adjusted or repaired and making it a sealed assembly would prevent entry of dust.   Some but not all of the Italian and Mexican variants were sealed.  The Polish licensed version was not sealed; the dust cover is removable and the gears etc. are mounted to a chassis that can also be disassembled for cleaning or repair.   

Flat cordage: agreed (rant omitted to save space).

The base assemblies of the Telcer phones: the taller base was needed to get the transmission network and the buzzer in there.  IMHO it looks better when it's the same color as the rest of the housing of the phone, rather than that brass or gold color which calls too much attention to itself and doesn't blend in harmoniously with the design.  OTOH I was thinking that it could be possible to cover the base with an appropriate cloth or felt and keep it in place with a circular retaining band or ring that would friction-fit on the inside of the base similar to what's done on a WE B1 or D1. 


GG



Okay folks, how'bout a contest (watch me get a sternly-worded note from the moderators for this one:-)

Take any replica phone you choose and modify it to look as close as possible to an original or a "plausible" original of whatever kind, subject to the following rules:

1)  It can't be offered for sale unless it has markings saying clearly that it's a replica and that those markings are not to be removed.

2)  You can't use dirt, dust, or cow manure to camouflage bad modifications or make something look like it was found in a barn that way.

3)  It has to be fully functional: dialing out, transmitting, receiving, and ringing if the original on which it was based had an internal ringer.  Buzzers are acceptable if necessary.  Things that chirp, tweet, hoot, honk, whistle, or use recorded audio of bells, aren't.

4)  Photos have to be clear and well-lighted.  No using dark or fuzzy photos to obscure cheesy modifications.

5)  And of course include descriptions of the phone as found, and what you did to modify it.