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What Made You Start Collecting Telephones?

Started by Doug Rose, June 06, 2010, 01:51:59 PM

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c64man

Just curious to know what got all of you into telephones.     I was working for an e-waste plant,  and stumbled acrossed a nice 554,  brought it home and for the longest time it just hung on the wall unused.  Then a buddy of mine put me on C*Net so i could join in the voice conferences.  After that it all went downhill.  In my old town there is a telephone museum and I was up there once a week buying phones.  My son saw his first rotary and said dad lets make this work.    Fast forward to now.  My son is tearing phones apart and repairing them.  Calling out on them,  all that fun stuff.     I've always been interested in electromechanical stuff too.  I've been a vintage computer collector for years.  The cool part is now I can use my modems to dial into the internet on one of my servers.  Its pretty darn awesome.   

So far we have a huge tub of phones.  A Payphone,  the beginnings of a step switch.   A Digital Hybrid PBX system.  Hoping to get a 1A2 system going in the house as well.  And have it tied all together someday.    We also want a switchboard.

My son loves the hands on aspect of it,  using tools,  crimping wires and cable connections all of it. 

So whats your story??

DavePEI

#76
Growing up in Brockville, Ontario, Canadian Hme of Automatic electric, I was surrounded with friends whose parents worked either there, or at the Phillips Cable plant (was Phillips Electical Works until AE built its new plant on Strowger Blvd.)

I was a bit of a geek, and interested in Electronics, and therefore was drawn towards the telephone. One of our close neighbours knew of my interests. He was the then vice president of Phillips Cables, and in addition to acting as my "elmer", he gave me my first pin guided screwdriver.

I developed contacts at both plants, and by the time I went to college, I had a fairly large collection of phones. While at college, that collection disappeared - Mom and Dad, scared of the "phone" police and not seeing its value threw it away. This included early Phillips Electrical Works phones, and several 10 digit Strowgers.

Then before moving to PEI, I worked with a contractor installing a Strowger PBX in the high school I had graduated from years before. After this, I got away from working directly int he telephone industry, but never lost my interest in phones.

When I married and settled down on the Island, my collecting began again.

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

BDM

Don't laugh, Green Acres, The Untouchables and Andy Griffith as a kid, sort of got me interested in that old equipment. By the time I watched those shows they were re-runs in the late 60s early/mid 70s
--Brian--

St Clair Shores, MI

DavePEI

#78
Insanity!
At least, that is what my wife says!
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

andre_janew

I've always been interested in mechanical and electrical things.  I think that it may have been the result of growing up on a farm.  Dad would, from time to time, dismantle something like a washing machine someone threw away and maybe salvage the motor and some wiring from it and perhaps some small bolts and screws.

I don't live on a farm anymore.  I live in town in an apartment.  Whatever I tinker with now can't be very big.   Telephones seem to be the ideal thing for me.  Also, I must keep my collection small.  This is because I have limited space, of course, because I live in an apartment. 

Fabius

They call it an apartment because you can take phones apart in it. What state are you in?
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

andre_janew

I live in Kansas.  However, some people accuse me of living in the state of Insanity.  Is that supposed to be our 51st state?

Fabius

Quote from: andre_janew on November 30, 2014, 05:34:47 PM
I live in Kansas.  However, some people accuse me of living in the state of Insanity.  Is that supposed to be our 51st state?

Yes and this forum is the state capital.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

twocvbloke

Quote from: Fabius on November 30, 2014, 07:04:59 PMYes and this forum is the state capital.

With a few international ambassadors... ;D

VintageTR

 I love quality and the feel of things built to last, i have a few  60's, 70's stereo receivers.  i love them  i touch them and marvel at the workmanship.  then a few years back my cell phone was ringing and for the umpteenth time i said  what is that, is it the phone? i griped and then went and found a S-C 500 in brown and when i heard it ring, i smiled. so i have enjoyed watching movies from the 30's and 40's, i found myself looking in each scene to see the phones. I had given up my land line over cost and  then disliking progress  i decided to make an intercom system using vintage phones just to hear them ring. now i have a Panasonic 308,  phones in every room and even my grand kids love calling me from all over the house to "chat" I'm not a collector per se just someone who loves rotary phones that are built like tanks. Even Mr IPhone (my son) begged to have a phone in his old room. go figure.  btw the bug struck me way too late, my mom worked for 30 years for Ma Bell and the stuff I could have had darn lol

andre_janew

Did you know that it is possible to download the ringtone of a rotary phone as a ringtone for your cell phone?  I haven't done it myself, but I know some people who have done it.  I mentioned it because I think you should consider it.

Greg G.

Quote from: andre_janew on February 17, 2015, 05:52:56 PM
Did you know that it is possible to download the ringtone of a rotary phone as a ringtone for your cell phone?  I haven't done it myself, but I know some people who have done it.  I mentioned it because I think you should consider it.


Yes, I have:  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11023.msg117941#msg117941
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

VintageTR

Quote from: andre_janew on February 17, 2015, 05:52:56 PM
Did you know that it is possible to download the ringtone of a rotary phone as a ringtone for your cell phone?  I haven't done it myself, but I know some people who have done it.  I mentioned it because I think you should consider it.

laughs i really hate cell phones but ty

Charles Davis

I started collecting phones almost by accident.

I was living in WA and one winter we had a bad storm that took the power out for several days.  Temps dropped to freezing INSIDE the house.  None of the phones in the house (including the cell phones) worked.  I happened to have an old princess phone laying around, so I plugged it into the phone jack, and it worked.  I made a few calls, mainly to let family know we are okay and what was going on. 

Anyway, once the crisis passed it occurred to me that having an older phone that didn't require separate power to operate was a cool thing.  So I started buying various phones.  The were dirt cheap, and I got hooked when I started noticing some REALLY cool phones from the 40s and 50s.  As usually happens with me, I then started moving backwards in time and looked for even older phones.  I scored my first candlestick on a trip to TN, as we were driving east from Memphis to Knoxville.

Anyway, I'm all over the map now, with a collection that spans the history of phones from about 1900 forward.  I still have every cell phone I ever owned, most of them with original boxes and papers (and chargers).

podor

My story has 2 chapters.  I originally started collecting as a kid. I remember a phone repair man coming by the house to work on my parent's 2500 in their bedroom. For some reason that interested me. I think I was like 3 or 4 at the time. My dad fixed TVs for a living, so it was something a bit more simple we could tinker with together. I also remember a 2851 on the wall at the local K-Mart auto center. There was something about those blinking line buttons. My parents were huge into estate sales, which was a great way to grab phones cheap.

Fast forward 30+ years. My daughter asked me one night, "Were there phones when you were a kid?" So, after looking up some phones on Google, I pulled the only 3 I had here at the house, a WE 2500DM, WE 2851 and an ITT 2564. (the rest of my early collection is buried in my parent's basement). Then I thought it would be cool to get them working. So I rigged up a few batteries to get things going. Then I thought it would be cool to make them ring, so I bought a Viking ring down box. Then I thought it would be cool to use it for an intercom, so I needed more phones. Then I thought it would be neet to get the lines to work on the the 1A2 stuff. So, I bought a WE 551B, which of course required more phones. Most recently, I bought a Panasonic KX-T61610 so each room in the house could have a separate extension. All this in the last year. The family enjoys it. Every one of my kid's friends that comes over loves using the phones. So now it has become something I can share, and teach the next generation.