"Vintage Bell System Desk Phone" : I am waiting by my mailbox to see what I got

[allnumbedup]

I participated in an online auction that was the "live" kind where the auctioneer took bids from the floor and the on-line auction site at the same time conversing with bidders by audio.  There were many lots of phones. Most all were common wood phones and most all went for $5-$50. I won four lots including a wooden frankenphone for which I snagged it's loose parts including a cracked long pole receiver for $7.50. I missed out on a good lot of mouthpieces (went for $10) and a wooden box with a steer horn hookswitch (went for $5) when I lost my connection for a while. However, The main lot I was after I got---it was described as a "Vintage Bell System Desk Phone" which I bid on it based on four web pictures (here there are...) and no other views provided before or during the auction. After a brief bidding war with someone in Iowa, it is on its way to me in NC.  This phone cost me $27.50 (I put out $62 total with buyer's premiums and shipping for all four lots of parts inculding the long pole, 5 handsets, and this phone.)

[ChrisW6ATV]

It looks like a B1 mount with an apparatus blank (that has a number-card ring/holder, nice) and an F1 or similar handset. The handset cord is newer/typical for a replacement F1 handset, and the line cord looks complete with its four conductors.

I think you did well with your "haul" from that auction overall. I am sure that many of us would enjoy seeing more pictures once you receive all of your items.

[tubaman]

Sounds like a nice haul. Do please add photos of the other items.

[loblolly986]

That haul was A1, I'd say. Bargain of the year, and there's still five months to go.

Pretty cool seeing an as-removed-from-service specimen of these with such refurb/field mods as the F1 handset and four-wire cord, too.

[allnumbedup]

My auction box arrived today packed well.  I will get to posting the other items by category but loblolly is right that it is an A1 which is what I had hoped. The flatter base is hard to see from the picture with the perch wrapped in cord. My thought was that the closer placement of the base bolts gave it away as an A1.  The cord had been wrapped for a long time---the cords have a tight memory around the mounting.  The handset is a solid core grooved F1 stamped "11" so made in January 1941 I think.  The cloth station cord is 1938 and the rubber handset cord is 1950.  The E1 shown is cracked (i have not removed the old cloth electrical tape) and purchased in another lot of handsets I won which came in this box.  The dial blank is a heavy flat piece with two center bolts under the card.  I removed the yellow enamel paint using "LA Awesome" floor cleaner---this is described on this site in another topic.  I found that the surface black paint was removed by "Goof OFF" so switched chemicals but the LA Awesome also loosened up the black top coat so that I will have to remove that too.  The picture of the mounting shows how thin this coat was to start with anyway. It is funny how the carelessly applied yellow paint doodle also puts a rectangular mark around the key feature of this phone but it is gone now!

[SUnset2]

Congratulations on a great deal.  Most people would have thought it was a B mount.  And you did an amazing job getting the yellow paint off. 

[allnumbedup]

Here are some of the items I got in this lot. Others (long pole receiver, 349 transmitter, AE metal handset) I have posted in other categories. Here though are some odd ball items. The left is a large open mouth surface mount gutta percha or wood coated-in black mouthpiece.  I have no idea of the appropriate phone for it.  The middle is a brass one piece MP and transmitter face from a Samson interphone or intercom.  The right one is a beveled  "Williams Electric Co." transmitter face for an inside threaded mouthpiece which is closed in the back.

[HowardPgh]

The black piece may be for an early tinfoil phonograph or more likely an acoustic string telephone or tubular intercom system.

[allnumbedup]

I completed a restoration to this phone's orginal finish. I added an E1 handset with the earliest patent dates I had available. I did not have a H3A cord so used the earliest H3B cord I could find (II 36). I haven't added a station cord. I saved the vintage dial card for a special phone: this paper one has perforations for a candlestick window. I thought the card type and printed exchange with a three digit number seemed date appropriate for 1927 or so. (Correct me if I am mistaken)  I will be looking for a bullet transmitter or an A or D handset (one day.) I would also like to use an actetate "make-up" number dial card but think maybe  these are from the late 1930's or 1940's. So I might save that idea for a 302. It is certainly not a museum quality phone  but I believe it has some character to it.

[allnumbedup]

uptake: found a bullet transmitter and installed it on the E1 handset for this phone.