Very Strange Feeling

[Doug Rose]

I have been collecting telephones a long time. After you get "somewhat" knowledgeable about phones you get a want list. I have had the same phone at the top of my want list for at least 25 years of my 30+ years of collecting. Its a very strange feeling when you finally get that #1 phone you have been searching for. As my wife knows, there is always "another" that I just have to have, but to finally get "that" phone. I have lusted after it for so long and honestly had given up any chance of getting one. The prices were just out of sight. I am still shocked when I see it sitting on my shelf. Trust me, I am more than thrilled with the phone, but the chase has ended. The Stars aligned and I got very lucky, twice. BUT...It is a very strange feeling.


What is "that" phone that you are chasing?.....Doug

[JorgeAmely]

Doug:

Are you having the blues?

I would love to own a red AE40 with chromed trims. Maybe someday.

[Dennis Markham]

I haven't been chasing very long and perhaps my sights are not set too high, but the first one on my list would have to be a Western Electric 554 in Oxford Gray.  That would complete my collection of those colored sets, except maybe for clear if they made them in clear.

If and when I do pick up that phone then I will refocus my sights.  Like I think you said you did Doug, when I get out of the car at the next flea market, antique shop, whatever, I say, my blue 302 is here today.

[dsk]

I did start the collecting at an age of approx 7, I just didn't know. Not looking for the nice looking ones, but the special ones, those I newer even knew was made. This has to be quite unsystematic, and those are not important in other ways than special interests. I have a handmade testtelephone from the 50ies or 60ies made for the telco to test dial speed. it has 2 dials, one slow, and one quick. If both was accepted the exchange was good enough. In addition it is some testing with different impedance's to cope with short and long lines.

I still get some ideas of should have sets. A 2500 set with fixed cords would be the one typical "modern" Amercan one. From Norway growing up with American films, it seems like 2 types of telephones has been used. The black candlestick type, and 2500. And I guess the the Oslo dial telegrafverket 1953 is the only well known Norwegan telephone seen from USA.

I still like my magnetos, and are waiting for this system to be modern again

dsk

[Doug Rose]

Doug:

Are you having the blues?

I would love to own a red AE40 with chromed trims. Maybe someday.

Very good Jorge! Next in line for me is a WE 130A Donut Phone. No not that 70's Donut phone, this beauty. Hard to find anything is decent shape as the cast iron tends to break of the backs off these. I'd settle for just the round base with the hookswitch and build from there. It is a very cool looking phone.....Doug

[jsowers]

Dennis and I have very similar needs. I need a soft plastic 554 in Mahogany Brown. Someday it will happen and I'll have to re-focus. But I'm not holding my breath considering today's market in phones. A genuine dark gray and black two-tone would be nice, and a moss green and black one would be better than the "made up" one I have on display.

Doug, it looks like you're on your way from recovering from the "gotta-get-it-wanna-have-it-now-I-got-it" blues. That doughnut phone is really unusual. Like a candlestick with a stick-ectomy. Good luck finding one.

[HarrySmith]

I have only been at this a couple of years so my collection is very small. I am shooting for all the 500 colors and even that is on hold with the truck expense. After that I will look for the color 302's

[Brinybay]

I can't pin it down to any one phone, but perhaps a genuinely Ivory (not painted) 202?  I saw one in one of the "Thin Man" movies, or it was something very similar looking.  If there isn't one, I would settle for something very closely matching, with an E1-style ivory handset like I saw in the movie.

[Jim Stettler]

I haven't been chasing very long and perhaps my sights are not set too high, but the first one on my list would have to be a Western Electric 554 in Oxford Gray.  That would complete my collection of those colored sets, except maybe for clear if they made them in clear.

If and when I do pick up that phone then I will refocus my sights.  Like I think you said you did Doug, when I get out of the car at the next flea market, antique shop, whatever, I say, my blue 302 is here today.

WE made a transparent 554, SC made a clear 554.
The WE sets usually have a transparent dial bezel.
SC sets alwaqys have a coloered bezel.

The bezel statements are true for 500 sets also.


Just my observations,
Jim

[Doug Rose]

I can't pin it down to any one phone, but perhaps a genuinely Ivory (not painted) 202?  I saw one in one of the "Thin Man" movies, or it was something very similar looking.  If there isn't one, I would settle for something very closely matching, with an E1-style ivory handset like I saw in the movie.

I have an Ivory SC 1198 that looks like a 202. 202s were metal, so they had to be painted. Is this it, sorry for the bad pic...>Doug

[Brinybay]

I can't pin it down to any one phone, but perhaps a genuinely Ivory (not painted) 202?  I saw one in one of the "Thin Man" movies, or it was something very similar looking.  If there isn't one, I would settle for something very closely matching, with an E1-style ivory handset like I saw in the movie.

I have an Ivory SC 1198 that looks like a 202. 202s were metal, so they had to be painted. Is this it, sorry for the bad pic...>Doug

Can't quite tell, but the one in the movie definitely had an E1 or E1-style handset with the spit cup.  It was the first movie in the "Thin Man" series and it was at the beginning, when the lady was talking on her phone.

[AE_Collector]

Doug:

Are you having the blues?

I would love to own a red AE40 with chromed trims. Maybe someday.

Jorge:

Red AE 40's used to be an "Automatic" (no pun intended) $1500. But not that loing agoi I saw one go for something like $800 on ebaY. So if you keep watching ebaY AND can set yourself a budget of $1000 I think you might be able to snag one.

Terry

[bingster]

For me, I think a set of color 302s would be high on my wish list at the moment.  Even higher would be a collection of metallic painted 102s/202s, but since they're so rare, the 302s are a more realistic aspiration.

Can't quite tell, but the one in the movie definitely had an E1 or E1-style handset with the spit cup.  It was the first movie in the "Thin Man" series and it was at the beginning, when the lady was talking on her phone.

Exactly right. It's a B-mount with an E1 handset.  These show up very frequently in movies from the 1930s and '40s. 

[Dan/Panther]

October 1949 WE 500, or a Clear World's Fair 302.
D/P

[AE_Collector]

My collection wish list would probably be a few more colored AE finds such as Ritchie's & NorthernMan's Mahogany AE34's. I have an Ivory 40 and a Red 40, both with chrome trim. So a different color preferably on a different model such as a 1A,34, 35 or 50 would be great. The most I have EVER paid for a phone was just under $500 so I am not going to be acquiring any of these that aren't either fantastic finds such as the two Mahagony 34's mentioned or maybe examples that are in very poor condition.

On the more affordable front, all I want for Christmas is a Styleline wall base in "Electric Blue"! That shouldn't be a particularly tough one to find but for some reason I haven't crossed paths with one yet. If anyone has one let me know as I have LOTS of nice colored duplicate Stylelines to trade or I'll buy it from you.

Terry