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N.E.T.&T. Co. #4 box with Gray Coin collector

Started by Sargeguy, March 13, 2018, 12:31:20 AM

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Sargeguy

https://www.ebay.com/itm/112852172226?

This is a super cool old pay station that recently sold on eBay for the bafflingly low sum of $799.  The phone is described as follows:

QuoteWalnut Western Electric /American Bell Telephone #4 subscriber set converted to a coin collector at the start of the last century. Engraved on the door is Property of the New England Telephone and Telegraph Co. The last patent date on the side is 1891 but inside the door frame is engraved 1894,so I will guess that was when it was made. This is the model that preceded the Type 21 that is much more commonly seen on this site. It appears to retain all the original wiring along with the original grungy finish. The rare large wheel magneto is also original to this model as is the ringer. The wool/cloth cord is in good shape for its age. The steer horn switch hook should have been replaced before 1900 but was still there when I found it so I left it on. The wax ball is a replacement that I added. When I found it the nickel plating was worn down to the brass. I made the decision to have it nickel plated along with the finger nuts, { thanks Dennis,your talents are sorely missed}. The door had a crack in it and has been re-glued. It is tight with no issues. It is missing the shunt button on the left side,I will throw in a small walnut button I was using. The keys on the coin box are not original but function well. The bells do not ring when cranked. This is a rare and hard to find telephone if it did not have the coin collector on it  A great telephone to display in your home and an excellent place to deposit your change at the end of the day. It weighs 28 pounds before boxing. I will have to dismantle the arm for shipping. You will pay the exact shipping and I will refund the rest. I hope it stays in New England but the market will dictate that. Local pick up is encouraged.

The seller got his wish and the phone will stay in New England, specifically my basement. after my last minute bid of $800.  If it were not for the Nor'Easter bearing down upon us, I would be driving to Cape Cod to pick it up tomorrow!!!

I would never part out a survivor like this but I am going to point out the selling prices for a few of the parts to give you an idea of how much of a bargain this phone really is:

Beveled edge *250*-    $300+
WE OST receiver-         $150
Steer Horn switch hook $100
Heavy duty mouthpiece $65
Number card holder       $35
"Big Wheel" magneto    $100






Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

wds

I was interested in that phone also.  A couple things I wasn't sure of on the #18 Gray, was that the back of the collector seems to be missing, and I wasn't sure if that was the correct transmitter bracket - I haven't seen one with the arm like that.  otherwise a nice phone.
Dave

Butch Harlow

I was watching this at the end wondering why it was so low. It was at 533.00 until the last few seconds. I was going to slap a bid on it, but even at that price it was out of my league currently. Whether it's perfect or not, it sure is nice to look at.
Butch Harlow

Sargeguy

I did not pick up on the possible missing back of the coin collector, the pictures aren't very helpful in that area.  If I recall correctly, I have seen the #10 arm used on other coin collectors, such as when they were mounted on a 301A, so that didn't strike me as odd.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

HarrySmith

Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

Sargeguy

Thanks Harry.

Doing some digging I decided that it is more likely a #7 box
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

Here is the 18 for comparison:
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

When you mounted on a wood phone, the #7 collector is attached to the backboard by means of a small bracket at the top and two large screws at the bottom, there is no back.   So it appears to be a completely legitimate survivor.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Payphone installer

As stated at the beginning the phone is one heck of a great source for parts. The mag is a big deal I believe it is a vanity magneto, note how ornate the gear is. I do not believe that this piece was ever in the field this way, there are to many signs the thing has been messed with like the crank escutcheon and the hook escutcheon.  The phone also would not have worked without a battery box. I also think that by the time they deployed this collector you would have seen it mounted on a central battery telephone like the Type 85 it is mounted on in this post. I am not sure it was ever used on a magneto telephone but I could have been. I will bet when the collector is removed the holes are there for a number 5 arm or earlier.

Sargeguy

I'm not worried about the magneto, there is a groove in the back of the box that was made to accommodate the wheel, so it is original or at least a very old pairing. The seller had Dennis H. re-nickel a lot of the parts, including the escutcheons, which were worn to brass when he got the phone.  The phone came out of the North shore of Massachusetts years ago.  The seller tells me that the only thing he replaced was one of the magnets, which was MIA.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409