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Who collects vintage touch-tones?

Started by Greg G., August 08, 2009, 05:33:08 AM

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Greg G.

This may be dangerous, but I'm starting to take a second look at older touch-tones in thrift stores.  Not that they would interest me to the point of wanting to collect them, but mostly for re-sale or trade with those who do collect them.  I hate to pass up a good vintage item just because I'm not interested in it, if I know somebody who may.  If not, well, the few dollars I spent went to a good cause.

But first, I need to know what to look for.  I have a couple of them that I picked up in thrift stores a few days ago.  I needed one to access my phone service menu.  Even though my "phone" service (cable) supports rotary dial phones, there still is no # or * equivalent on a rotary dial.

Without further ado, here's the two I picked up.  One is an AE, the other WE.  I don't see any dates on the outside of either.  The AE handset is hardwired, but it's plain the line cord was modified for modular, you can see a hole in the back where the line cord used to go when it was hardwired.  
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Greg G.

The WE.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

contraste

Dangerous ground it may be but I'll admit to liking the touch tone phones.

I look for hard wired handsets, marked Bell System Western electric and in any colour other than beige or pink.

It's interesting that there seems to be more WE 500's on eBay than the 2500 models.


mienaichizu

i do buy vintage TT phones, this is one of my latest buys, an early Siemens TT phone

HobieSport

#4
I have one touch tone, a newish Chinese "Premier" (Cortelco?) brand 12 button in aqua, that I use on my desk for business calls.

I way overpaid for it, as it was described on Ebay as a Western Electric. Unfortunately I didn't save the sellers' contact info so I couldn't point out the miss-information (intentional or not) and return it if I wanted to.

So I bit the bullet and decided to just enjoy it, and take it as a newbie lesson. I like the style (the button panel is raised and round, like a dial insert) and it works fine and the aqua color is not faded since it's so new. So at least I can now say that I have one Chinese (read POS) phone in my "international" phone collection. :P
-Matt

Phonesrfun

Hey, I recognize the Value Villiage sticker!  Our closest one is in Tri Cities, and I always cruise through looking for phones.  Lately, the ones from the 80's and before have all but vanished, so you did real good!

I have several touch tones, including a couple 10-button (1500) versions.  One is a pink work in progress that I posted a picture of yesterday along with a few other pink phones in the thread titled something like My pink AE 80.

I am going to go to LaGrand and Baker City, Oregon today and scout the antique stores there.

Cheers,

Bill
-Bill G

HobieSport

Quote from: Phonesrfun
I am going to go to LaGrand and Baker City, Oregon today and scout the antique stores there.
Cheers,
Bill

Happy Hunting, Bill!
-Matt

McHeath

I like and collect old touch tones as well as rotarys. My favs are the 10 buttons, and probably my aqua 1500, which was quite the saga,

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=566.0

may be my all time favorite old phone.




Greg G.

#8
Quote from: contraste on August 08, 2009, 11:02:06 AM
Dangerous ground it may be but I'll admit to liking the touch tone phones.

I look for hard wired handsets, marked Bell System Western electric and in any colour other than beige or pink.

It's interesting that there seems to be more WE 500's on eBay than the 2500 models.

No beige or pink?  I usually do that anyway.  I've often wonder who the hell came up with such a decorative color like beige.  Must have been cheap to make or something.

So the basics are - hardwired, preferably 10-button, something more psychedelic than beige.  Pink?  Maybe, can always sell or trade it, and it's a step up from beige.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Greg G.

Quote from: Phonesrfun on August 08, 2009, 12:26:56 PM
Hey, I recognize the Value Villiage sticker!  Our closest one is in Tri Cities, and I always cruise through looking for phones.  Lately, the ones from the 80's and before have all but vanished, so you did real good!

I have several touch tones, including a couple 10-button (1500) versions.  One is a pink work in progress that I posted a picture of yesterday along with a few other pink phones in the thread titled something like My pink AE 80.

I am going to go to LaGrand and Baker City, Oregon today and scout the antique stores there.

Cheers,

Bill

Don't forget the Goodwills and the smaller off-the-wall thrift stores (Helping Hands is another one).  

I hope you don't mind, but I cropped your pink 10-button and reposted it here.  It's good to know other guys don't mind pink phones.  
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

McHeath

Love that pink 1500, it's the first one I've ever seen in that color.  There was a nice avocado green 1500 on e-bay a few weeks back that went for something like $160 or so. 

Stephen Furley

Quote from: Brinybay on August 08, 2009, 05:33:08 AM

Without further ado, here's the two I picked up.  One is an AE, the other WE.  I don't see any dates on the outside of either.  The AE handset is hardwired, but it's plain the line cord was modified for modular, you can see a hole in the back where the line cord used to go when it was hardwired.  

I think that AE one belongs in my 'Hideous phones' thread!

I've got a lot of 'phones from the early libralisation period, early '80s over here.

Early push buttons seem to fall into several groups:

Existing standard dial designs, such as the 746 here or the 500 over there with the dial replaced by a keypad, and the opening for the dial replaced by a plate with holes for the buttons.

New models designed for keypads, but based on earlier dial designs, such as your two in his thread.  I haven't seen anything here of this type based on the standard dial models, but the 'Trimphone' was produced in push button versions.

Totally new designs, not based on earlier models.  We had lots of those here.  Many were made in several different versions, LD or DTMF signaling, or both.  Earth or TB recall, or  neither or both.

These were really the last 'standard' telephones; there was a limited range available and when first introduced many of them were rented.  After this I really stop being interested, there's an almost infinite range, and no real pattern to the way they developed.

Are the 10-button 'phones you have there really DTMF models?  I don't think I've ever seen such a thing over here; which certainly isn't saying that there weren't any.  All of the 10-button models which I've seen have been LD; and all the DTMF models have been 12-button with the star and hash keys.  16-button models are rare here, and I don't think the A, B, C and D keys have ever been used here.  There were 12-button LD models, where the extra two buttons were either dummies, or real ones which did nothing

foots

I too like several of the old touchtone phones though I don't own any at this time. I'm partial to hardwired phones though.
"Ain't Worryin' 'Bout Nothin"

McHeath

QuoteAre the 10-button 'phones you have there really DTMF models?

They are indeed.  Their development goes back into the late 40's, and the system was introduced to the public in 63' after being announced the previous year.  The Western Electric 1500 desk phone and 1554 wall phone were made from 63' to 68', then the star and pound buttons were added and the model numbers changed to 2500 and 2554, both of which are still being made.

Stephen Furley

It came in much later here; DTMF 'phones were available earlier for use on electronic PABX systems, but into the early '80s most public exchanges were LD only, and most were still Strowger until replaced by digital.  We had some crossbar and reed relay exchanges, but they weren't very common.  Many PABX systems were also Strowger, the one at my previous workplace was until just a few months before I left, January 1990.

Did you have LD push-button 'phones there, or were they always DTMF?  They were very common here; I've got more of hem than I have DTMF ones.  Mixed-mode dialing was also common here, where you had to pulse dial a number to the BT exchange, then switch to tone, usually by pressing the star button while in pulse mode, then dial account codes and the number you were calling in tone mode.