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Phone Books and Wooden Phones

Started by War Horse, January 26, 2017, 03:52:39 PM

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War Horse

On the side of my WE 317N there's a directory hook.  I've poked around on eBay and I've seen that phone books back then had a hole at the top left.  How did the phone books attach to the phones?  Did people just hook the book onto that small hook, or did they attach the book with a string or something?

Sargeguy

old phone books had a hole that a string went through
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

AE_Collector

My guess us most would put a loop of string through the hole in the directory. I have seen them with a loop of string still on them. But, if the directory itself would easily slip directly on and off of the hook that was probably done as well.

Even AE35 Bakelite wall sets have a little metal hook on the bottom right where the handset cord exits the housing. It is a flat wide (1/4") metal hook so a string would likely be needed on the directory.

Terry

War Horse

Cool.  I've got my eye on an old phone book right now.  I was just wondering what the best way to display it with the phone.  :)

Jim Stettler

I have seen phone books with an " ad tag" on the string. The hole on the Ad tag was reinforced.

I would use and older looking cotton string .
JMO,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

War Horse

This is the book I just won on.  Got it for $20, which might be a little high, but I like it, so I didn't mind paying a little extra.  I was watching another Bell System one, but it was for a rural area and was just 4 or 5 pages thick. Now to scavenge the house for some old cotton string.

Jim Stettler

Quote from: Jim S. on January 26, 2017, 08:21:13 PM
I have seen phone books with an " ad tag" on the string. The hole on the Ad tag was reinforced.

I would use and older looking cotton string .
JMO,
Jim S.
+I was just looking at this . The " Ad Tag" makes a good bookmark.
JMO,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

War Horse

Quote from: Jim S. on January 26, 2017, 11:29:33 PM
+I was just looking at this . The " Ad Tag" makes a good bookmark.
JMO,
Jim S.

I'll have to poke around Google and see if I can find an example of one and then keep an eye out for them on eBay.  I love old advertisements and getting this phone book with plenty of them in there is a win/win.

Sargeguy

I usually prop them up on the writing shelf unless they are really small. 
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Fabius

Here's 3 books with the string and the ad.

Top Left: 1937 Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Co (MST&T). With an ad for Valley Gold Dairies.

Top Right: 1939 Laramie, Wyoming. MST&T. Ad is for a dry cleaning company.

Bottom: 1938 Silver City, New Mexico. MST&T. Ad is for Popular Dry Goods.

Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

War Horse

OOOOoooooooooooo  I like those! 

Thanks a ton for the pic.  Man, those are some great looking directories.