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What to do with late model and spare phones

Started by bushman, May 10, 2014, 02:41:02 PM

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bushman

I don't want to start a big argument on here, but what do you people do with later model phones? I am talking about  70's 500's with modular notches, late model AT&T, late model 2500's , and other oddball brands like Premier.  Since all my friends know I collect phones, they all like to bring me stuff. This is not a bad thing as I have received a few "treasures". But a lot of times it is an average one. I just smile and say thanks!! Don't want to hurt their feelings because the next one they find might be a 1949 500.  So what do I do with the others. Some of the western electrics have early bases but the housing and handset is late and modular. I do keep the really cool colors (Lime Green, Orange, etc) But I have a lot of "ho hum" beige ones.

Just curious
Bushman

TelePlay

There is a good market for red 2500s in that every security office and hospital surgical control desk I have seen has one hooked directly into their analog POTS line for use when the power to their digital phone system goes down. I deliver stuff to surgery in over 60 hospitals and make a note to see what's sitting on the back desk. Always a red 2500 style phone. They know that in a power failure, the analog POTS line should still be available to handle emergency calls.

Actually, I think cleaning up any phone, regardless of color, equipped with a modular line cord, and listing it on eBay at a reasonable starting price will sell.

Matilo Telephones

#2
Of course I am not talking about the same models and colors, but I have the same issues.

These are the things I did with them in the past:

I strip surplus phones for spares, especially if they are discolored or damaged.
I give them away to other collectors and other interested parties. Especially beginning young collectors, if I can.
Clean polish and give them a tune up and sell them on.
I used one to bring back to life an empty 1920ies very rare phone, that had no innards.
I contemplaining building a steam punk phone and doing other fun projects with them.
Groeten,

Arwin

Check out my telephone website: http://www.matilo.eu/?lang=en

And I am on facebook too: www.facebook.com/matilosvintagetelephones

HarrySmith

I agree. I learned early on in my collecting, DO NOT THROW ANYTING OUT!! I will always need a part the day after I get rid of it. Giving the phones to beginner collectors is a great way to pass them on and help out a newcomer. Also most any phone will sell on eBay if it is shined up!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

Matilo Telephones

I have been given many phones over the years. For free, by people who thought it was a waste to throw them away. I feel that because I accepted them in the first place, I cannot throw them away.

Some are worht something, but do not fit in my collection.  These I give away too if I think someone is interested. I got them for free, didn´t I?

Because I throw out very little and have many many spare parts, I started to wonder what to do with those. I have many that I know I´m never going to use (at least not all of them, only some). Like I have about 200 standart PTT bakelite receiver and transmitter caps.

But I know these parts are often broken. When the handset is dropped on the floor, these are the first to break.

So I have put a generic ad on the net, offering parts for bakelite telephones and explaining wich parts I have and have not. The result is that many single phone owners (who do not want to start a collection) send me an email for help and advice to get their phone working and buying that one part that is otherwise impossible to find.

Also I get requests and reactions from other parties, like museums, props people from the entertainment industry, other collectors, the media, etc etc. And oh yes, crazy people. :o

So putting up that ad led to having even more fun.
Groeten,

Arwin

Check out my telephone website: http://www.matilo.eu/?lang=en

And I am on facebook too: www.facebook.com/matilosvintagetelephones

Kenton K

I agree with giving away phones to interested peoples or young collectors. They love them, even if they are beige and boring in our own eyes. That's how I got started collecting; somebody gave me a phone. Spread the joy!

Sargeguy

I put them in a box at the end of my driveway with "FREE" written on it.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Mr. Bones

One could also, conceivably, make subsets for older, far cooler telephones, out of them... just a thought; I so seldom have one that I wanted to share! ;D

Best regards!
Sláinte!
   Mr. Bones
      Rubricollis Ferus

twocvbloke

You could always sell unwanted phones on ebay and donate all or most of the earnings to charity (and no, "The Beer Fund" is not a real charity!!), that way you don't make any money from other people's generosity, and both the buyer and the charity benefit from the sale of the phone... :)

ESalter

Or you could sell the unwanted phones on ebay and donate the money to yourself to buy a phone you actually DO want, which is the gesture the donor was trying to make in the first place, right?  :)

---Eric

Greg G.

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

Greg G.

#11
Or an intercom system.  Seriously, Anita would like to have an intercom between our front door and the office that uses a phone.  How would one go about rigging that up?  I wouldn't use a collectable vintage phone for the front door intercom, lest it get stolen or damaged, but a working "junker" phone I wouldn't lose any sleep over.  We have a covered front porch so it wouldn't be subject much to the elements, and I would probably put it in a "call box" of some sort.  I'm thinking it would need to be set up so that the person at the front door could pick up the handset, press or dial "0", and it would ring a dedicated phone directly linked in our office.  The two parties could then converse.

Maybe I'm answering my own question, but sounds like running it through the PBX would be the easiest solution.  Only drawback I see is most people are too dumb to dial a two-digit extension even with instructions.  I know this from experience when I had an answering machine with 3 separate voice mails for myself and my two roommates.  The recording clearly said "To leave a message for Louie, press 1, for Steve, press 2, for Greg, press 3".  9 times out of ten they just hung up then complained later they didn't know which button to push, or they would push the right button and then expect the person to answer (HELLO!  We just said nobody's available!)  True story.

Anyway, the point being I would rather have it set up so that they can just dial "O" like most people are used to.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

twocvbloke

Quote from: Brinybay on May 12, 2014, 04:15:59 AMHow would one go about rigging that up?

With an interesting VOIP-Intercom setup perhaps? :D

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=6225

Just needs a PAP2T VOIP adaptor and a couple of phones... :)

Greg G.

#13
I read the first few steps of the VOIP setup, too fancy for what I had in mind.  I'm thinking that perhaps some sort of old-school setup would work and not be too complicated, like with a surplus magneto that the person at the door could crank and it would ring the office phone.  The 534A shell I recently acquired has a hole in one side that looks like it was for a magneto crank.  If so, that would make a good call-box housing.

The more I think about it, the more I want to go that route, this sounds like it would be an interesting project.  Anita had mentioned having something like that before, when I acquired the  "Farm Phone" a while back, a simple crank that would ring the extension.  I would use the Farm Phone for the interior office end of the intercom of course, and get a surplus magneto, handset and whatever else I needed for the front door/porch end.
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Sargeguy

That's the hole for the subset cord.  All 534 and 634 subsets have them.  If you need a WE magneto box LMK I have a stack of them that I do not need.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409