Coupla Black Phones

[Systemagic]

  I know little about them but I buy phones, and other collectibles, for resale on Craigslist and you guys have been extremely helpful in the past.

  I have a couple of phones that I'd like more information on and would appreciate any that you could impart.  The first is this squarish 1940's(?) style phone.

  I bought it, for around $24 from an older Asian gentleman at a collector's sale so I wonder if it's even from the western hemisphere?  Note the large red 3 inch plug-in jack.  On the other hand it has Cablevision phone numbers on a sticker on its back side which appear western and relatively modern.  The cords are quite frayed and there are some problems within the mouthpiece.  The brass strain relief connector isn't holding anything and, consequently there are two loose connections inside.  There also appear to be two missing screws and, worse, possibly some other metal bracket that one of the loose wires might afix to.  Cay anyone shed any light on this?

Also, I have what appears to be a relatively recent 500-style phone but with large white-on-black numbers on them probably for the moderately vision impaired.  I got this for $5 at a garage sale.  It's a Monophone by Automatic Electric (Canada Ltd).  Theres a "12-65" mark on the bottom and I wonder if that could be the date?

As always I'm keenly interested as to what the market value of these might be?

[rdelius]

The older set is an Automatic Electric type 40
The newer set is an Automatic Electric type 80. You do not see them with that kind of dial very often
Robby

[LarryInMichigan]

Your first phone is an AE 40 (Automatic Electric).  $24 is a decent price for it if it does not have any cracks.  The second phone is an AE 80, the successor to the AE 40.  Both models were made by Automatic Electric in Chicago and also in Canada.  The AE 40, if it is Canadian, may have "Phillips Electrical Works" on it somewhere.  Black AE80s are not especially valuable, but the numbers-only bezel adds to the value.  Certainly, $5 is a fair price.

Your handset appears to be missing a contact for the transmitter.  That should not be difficult to replace.

Enjoy your new phones!

Larry

[Systemagic]

Thanks Rdelius/Larry!

   Does anyone know when these two might have been manufactured?  Is the 1940's a correct ballpark decade for the AE 40?  Does the "12-65" stamp on the bottom of the AE 80 likely indicate the date?

[rdelius]

You are correct on both sets. The type 40 was introduced about 1938 and was in production until the 1950s except special sets for the US navy in the 1970s. The type 80 from about 1954 or so until the mid 1970s.both are very rugged quality sets. You are missing the center contact on your handset.Someone might post a photo so you can make one.You should look at the ringers for the SL markings to indicate it will ring on modern telephone lines .If the ringers are marked with 54 cycle or other numbers, they might
need to be replaced.There are threads on these forums about this.
Robby

[stub]

Systemagic,
                 This is the contact you need for transmitter on the AE 40.    stub

[Systemagic]

Thanks Stub!