phone booth questions

[ldj1002]

Looking to buy this booth questions are, Is there supposed to be a little shelf under the phone, the seat looks like maybe it was replace, most I remember had a curve seat not just plain square. Is there a fan in where that light is? Should that door be varnished inside rather than painted? Anyone know what kind of booth this is so I can look it up. These photos are all I know since I haven't gone to look at it

[Jim Stettler]

At first look and second It doesn't seem real to me.
It could be, but, even if real you should only pay low.
Booths and switchboards are cool and valuable, however, they are big and take up space,
Their is typically only 1 interested "buyer" and a Motivated seller.
JMO,
Jim S.

[Stubbypylon]

There should be a glass shade in the light fixture. It does not have a fan built into it.  That leads me to believe its a Type 5 or 6 booth (#6 has a seat, #5 does not. This is dependent on if that seat is original.  Inside the door at the top left, the booth number would be stamped in the wood.) #5 & 6 booths had surface corner mounted fans with rubber blades whereas #10 & 11 had the fan built into the light.

The height of the payphone will also indicate if it was a standing #5 or seated #6 booth and confirm if the seat was original or if someone added it later.

[Payphone installer]

I have this booth don't believe it had a shelf or a seat. The booth is the real deal. I will look when I get a chance.

[RotarDad]

Jim - Where would they hide the subset if these booths has no seat or shelf?  We're these from the 40s/50s when the 18x and 19x phones had the 101B coil, so no subset required?  Thanks for sharing your knowledge on this stuff!

[Fleetcmat]

Unless you can get that booth REAL CHEAP I would pass. it is missing the light globe. The seat is possibly incorrect. Also the fan if it had one is missing. The big thing is the re-paint on the interior. Just my two cents!

[Stubbypylon]

Here's a couple of snippets from BSP's showing the #5 & 6 booths.  The shelf was an option to add.  Also here are a couple of pics of the rubber blade fan that would be mounted above the payphone in the corner and a pic of the light shade.  I see the fans from time to time on ebay sometimes missing the blade.  I only recall seeing the light fixture with shade once.

[ldj1002]

Unless you can get that booth REAL CHEAP I would pass. it is missing the light globe. The seat is possibly incorrect. Also the fan if it had one is missing. The big thing is the re-paint on the interior. Just my two cents!

What is cheap?

[Haf]

Here is a 1931 picture of what I suppose is this type of booth. If you compare the height of the phone from picture and the one for sale I would intend to a booth with no seat. The glass shade of this light fixture seems a bit bigger than the one Stubbypylon posted but that can be an angle problem. I don't see a fan but it seems that there might be something missing in the door latch mechanism, the door handle looks different but you can see the same sheet metal interior and a shelf.

Haf

[poplar1]

Notice in the picture Haf posted that the subset is mounted vertically on the side of the booth, not horizontally beneath the shelf.

[Stubbypylon]

Here's a picture of my #5 booth with fan and glass shade.

[Haf]

Two more pictures were you can see shelf and subset more detailed.

Haf

[Payphone installer]

I have seen this booth with the phone mounted in various places. I went out and looked at mine and it was on the back wall with the blackboard and the subset set underneath. No shelf at all.

[Fleetcmat]

Cheap to me would be $400.00. That would be in question depending on the shape of the three slot hanging inside. Going to take a lot of work to get it back to where it should be. The fan alone could set you back 200.00 to 400.00. if and when you find one.

[Jim Stettler]

At first look and second It doesn't seem real to me.
It could be, but, even if real you should only pay low.
Booths and switchboards are cool and valuable, however, they are big and take up space,
Their is typically only 1 interested "buyer" and a Motivated seller.
JMO,
Jim S.

After reading some of the response, I accept that this  is a real booth.
I would offer  $200, 1 for the phone, 1 for the booth.

They want to get rid of it. You are the most likely buyer (if any).

Jim S.