AE "Bracket" Monophone

[unbeldi]

Did you get this phone completely finished Ken?

With code number 1902 do you think it is a "Type 19"? That coding/model number relationship held true for other AE phones in this time frame I believe.

I have never seen or heard of one of these AE phones before. Someone must have one in their collection!

Terry

That would make sense, indeed.   They were number 1902 and later 1903.  There perhaps was a 1900 and 1901 in the beginning too, and they never seem to have acquired an L-code.
Type 19 is not used by any other instrument, as far as I know.   The Type 18, I think, was a wall instrument with the L-900 receiver on top.  That would leave only the #20 open until we get to #21 which is well known, of course.  Is it known why the No. 21 was numbered that way early on ?

[Alex G. Bell]

That would make sense, indeed.   They were number 1902 and later 1903.  There perhaps was a 1900 and 1901 in the beginning too, and they never seem to have acquired an L-code.
Type 19 is not used by any other instrument, as far as I know.   The Type 18, I think, was a wall instrument with the L-900 receiver on top.  That would leave only the #20 open until we get to #21 which is well known, of course.  Is it known why the No. 21 was numbered that way early on ?

I had the impression that many AE models were named based on the year they were developed or introduced, hence the skipping from 21 to 34, 35, 40, 47.  When this method was adopted over sequential numbering is a question.  The "Strowger Progess" chronology might provide some insight into this.  I thought though that the 21 dated from 1921.

[unbeldi]

I had the impression that many AE models were named based on the year they were developed or introduced, hence the skipping from 21 to 34, 35, 40, 47.  When this method was adopted over sequential numbering is a question.  The "Strowger Progess" chronology might provide some insight into this.  I thought though that the 21 dated from 1921.

Yes, that is the explanation I had also, and it has made a lot of sense for the major product lines.  Not that the 1/1A were not major in any way.   ....  Notwithstanding that the 21 was announced in 1922.

[Alex G. Bell]

Yes, that is the explanation I had also, and it has made a lot of sense for the major product lines.  Not that the 1/1A were not major in any way.   ....  Notwithstanding that the 21 was announced in 1922.

Sure, but they were the first Monophones so it makes sense that the code sequence began over.  "21s" and other 2-piece phones were not AFAIK "Monophones". 

It's not clear, at least to me (I've never tried to correlate) Monophone model #s with year of intro/announcement to suss out whether they were the year the devel project began or the year of intro/ann. so I don't know whether 21s in 22 contradicts what was done with other models.  But given that about the only consistent thing about what AE did was their inconsistency, even that might not be exceptional.

[unbeldi]

Sure, but they were the first Monophones so it makes sense that the code sequence began over.  "21s" and other 2-piece phones were not AFAIK "Monophones". 

It's not clear, at least to me (I've never tried to correlate) Monophone model #s with year of intro/announcement to suss out whether they were the year the devel project began or the year of intro/ann. so I don't know whether 21s in 22 contradicts what was done with other models.  But given that about the only consistent thing about what AE did was their inconsistency, even that might not be exceptional.

It has seemed to me that they just started with No. 1 Monophone and incremented, until corporate amnesia ended and they had the idea to name the 34. 

[Alex G. Bell]

It has seemed to me that they just started with No. 1 Monophone and incremented, until corporate amnesia ended and they had the idea to name the 34.

That makes sense for the Monophones but presumably the 21-type desk stand and 21 /21A wall ("hotel") phones predate the #1 Monophone, so they seem to have used the "year method" before the amnesia set in and they recovered from it/had an "Oh Yeah!" (light bulb came back on) moment.

[stub]

Terry,
          Yes I finished the frankenphone when I got the correct Burns bracket from Vern back in 2012. I haven't seen a real AE made one at all.  It is now in a box somewhere in the shop. stub