Author Topic: It's the elephant in the room . . . (Read 3886 times)

TelePlay · « **on:** March 29, 2014, 05:00:23 PM »

Now this is unique, at least to me. I've not seen this variety of novelty/decorative phone before, and starting at a reasonable $9.99 plus $16 shipping.

It's actually quite interesting right down to the phillips head screw holding it together. Everyone should have one . . .

Vintage Dial brass elephant telephone

twocvbloke · « **Reply #1 on:** March 29, 2014, 05:16:40 PM »

Looks as though the species is african looking at the ears...

TelePlay · « **Reply #2 on:** April 02, 2014, 07:52:02 AM »

Hey, twocv, African Book Ends now available!

Brass-Antique-Elephant-Phone-Rotary-Tusk-Trunk-Telephone-African-Zoo-Desk

Buy them both for an average price of $96 to have that unique conversation decoration for your favorite book shelf. . .

(hard to believe sellers don't do a bit of competition research before listing an item - this one listed at $149.pp plus $17 shipping)

Russ Kirk · « **Reply #3 on:** April 02, 2014, 11:23:16 AM »

I can see the beauty and style in most novelty telephones, but this elephant phone (and the tall brass pedestal phone) has got to be the ugliest factory made phones. Oh well, to each his own......

Now, if one collected elephant related items that might be a different story.

Uh oh, my apologies to anyone here that likes it or owns one.....

twocvbloke · « **Reply #4 on:** April 02, 2014, 11:53:29 AM »

Nah, it definitely is ugly, if it didn't say "Made in taiwan" on the base, I would have guessed that it was made in india as they like making ugly brass phones (occasionally branding them as Western Electric, which couldn't be further from the truth!!) in various shapes, sizes and grotesqueness...

I'd hate to be handling that phone if one of the line wires fell off and contacted the metalwork while the line was ringing...

HarrySmith · « **Reply #5 on:** April 02, 2014, 01:42:36 PM »

I will admit, I own one

In my own defense, I did not purchase it. My father on law, who spends a lot of time following his wife around antique stores picked it up for me. He asks at every store about phones and do far thus is the only one he found. He was so excited, I had to get excited also. I tore it apart right away to clean & polish it. Then they went back to Conn. and the elephant phone went into a box still in pieces and sits there today.

paul-f · « **Reply #6 on:** April 02, 2014, 03:18:23 PM »

There are several entertaining Youtube videos on repairing these beasts. Here's one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YDv3LJkANY

TelePlay · « **Reply #7 on:** April 02, 2014, 09:10:38 PM »

And yet another one surfaces on eBay, for $48.88 bid (BIN $65) plus $21 shipping and, oh, that's where they plug in the handset cord . . .

Vintage-Brass-Elephant-Rotary-Telephone-Heavy

Nick in Manitou · « **Reply #8 on:** April 03, 2014, 10:00:24 AM »

There has got to be a good joke here about a "trunk line"...

Adam · « **Reply #9 on:** April 03, 2014, 02:24:38 PM »

Also, it has speed dialing that never forgets...

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