Vintage Phones

[Sefton]

Here's my desk with my vintage phone and fan. Only thing is that it scares the poo out of me every time it rings.

Thank you for not posting pictures of your desk chair.

 

[Rosie]

sort of on topic

My cell phone ring actually sounds a lot like the old bell ring, which I am accustomed to because of the older phones in my house. When I was serving jurt duty the other day, this older gentleman sought me out becuase he heard my cell phone ring a few times throughout the day. He told me, "that ring is very much like the ringers on the phones back in the day, but a young thing like you wouldn't know about that". "Oh, I don't know Sir, I kind of know a thing or two about older phones". We talked about phones, and "back in the day" for about a half hour or so.

 

[panamag8or]

My cell phone ring actually sounds a lot like the old bell ring, which I am accustomed to because of the older phones in my house. When I was serving jurt duty the other day, this older gentleman sought me out becuase he heard my cell phone ring a few times throughout the day. He told me, "that ring is very much like the ringers on the phones back in the day, but a young thing like you wouldn't know about that". "Oh, I don't know Sir, I kind of know a thing or two about older phones". We talked about phones, and "back in the day" for about a half hour or so.

So is my cell ring. As a matter of fact, it's called "Old Phone".

 

[ScionPI2005]

I have that old ringer style on my cell phone too. In fact, I was in a restaurant the other day and I heard that exact ring on some one else's phone...I thought for a moment that I would have to kill them; cause hey, I have to be the only one with that old style ring!

PS-Sefton, are you referring to the odd picture above the phone with the kid's head on the cat body? LOL, that was created probably 12 or so years ago when my dad was playing around with a new computer's photo software. I forgot to remove the pic before taking the shot of my desk...kinda funny now actually.

 

[BegintheBeguine]

Boo!

Thank you for not posting pictures of your desk chair. PS-Sefton, are you referring to the odd picture above the phone with the kid's head on the cat body?

No, he meant that your phone's ring scares the "poo" out of you. Yes, thanks! lol
My cell phone's old-timey ring is called Nostalgia. My house phones have it built in. We rented them for years from the Rochester Telephone then they stopped charging rent recently. Some of the phones have a wheel underneath the phone to lower the ringer, with a picture of a big bell on one end and a small bell on the other.

 

[Sefton]

Actually I hadn't noticed the picture before! That's funny too! By the way;nice phone.

 

[ScionPI2005]

No, he meant that your phone's ring scares the "poo" out of you. Yes, thanks! lol
My cell phone's old-timey ring is called Nostalgia. My house phones have it built in. We rented them for years from the Rochester Telephone then they stopped charging rent recently. Some of the phones have a wheel underneath the phone to lower the ringer, with a picture of a big bell on one end and a small bell on the other.

Oh yes...hahah! I'm dense...I didn't get that at first :eusa_doh:

 

[panamag8or]

SCORE!

I just came home from Grandma's, and I have aquired the following:

701-B Princess in the turquoise. Dated 12-59. Ther first ones are dated 9-59, so I have an oldie. This version doesn't have it's own ringer, I need the seperate ringer box.

Western Electric 302 from around 1946. Looks pretty much like everyone else's 302.

Kellogg D-1000 redbar with the "metropolitan" dial. This one has the original number card, as well.

Sooo... none of these are ready to plug in, but now I have some projects to play with.

 

[Sefton]

They're fairly easy to hook up and the converter parts aren't expensive-unlike some of the phones themselves! It looks like you had quite a bit of luck there! Congratulations! I just had a bit of luck (until my wife finds out how much I spent! ) winning this Western Electric D1 202 desk phone and original ringer box:

These are the auction photos-when I receive the actual phone I'll take some photos for posting here. I have a metal body 1940 dated 302 and a dated 1908 candlestick phone also so this just about finishes my collection. Possibly my bank account too! Now if I can just stay away from that auction for the complete 1930's phone booth...

 

[ScionPI2005]

They're fairly easy to hook up and the converter parts aren't expensive-unlike some of the phones themselves! It looks like you had quite a bit of luck there! Congratulations! I just had a bit of luck (until my wife finds out how much I spent! ) winning this Western Electric D1 202 desk phone and original ringer box:

These are the auction photos-when I receive the actual phone I'll take some photos for posting here. I have a metal body 1940 dated 302 and a dated 1908 candlestick phone also so this just about finishes my collection. Possibly my bank account too! Now if I can just stay away from that auction for the complete 1930's phone booth...

That is one spiffy phone! Can't wait to see your pics when you get it. Bet it has a nice, clear, loud ring!

 

[skyvue]

Anyone have a vintage phone something like this one?

I'm curious to know if the chrome surfaces on the receiver and dial require much upkeep and how well they tend to retain their sheen.

 

[Sefton]

Anyone have a vintage phone something like this one?

I'm curious to know if the chrome surfaces on the receiver and dial require much upkeep and how well they tend to retain their sheen.

I don't have one like that (and I don't want one like that. Repeat I don't want one like that...lol )but it's a beautiful phone. Do you have one yourself? Gotta love those deco details!

 

[skyvue]

I don't yet have one, no -- but I'm thinking of purchasing one.

 

[Dinerman]

The old man's got a restored redbar.

There's a 302 in the art department storage room at school that's been there years and years. I'm going to see if it works once school starts back up. If it does, it may come home.

 

[Rosie]

Are phones like this

still being made, or were being made until recently?

An auction on the bay claims this phone was made in '99. I thought that a bit odd.


I'm deciding to go with a touch tone in the kitchen. I REALLY want another rotary but, I have rotarys (is that correct?) throughout the house and think I should have at least one quick dialer on each floor.

 

[ScionPI2005]

I'm deciding to go with a touch tone in the kitchen. I REALLY want another rotary but, I have rotarys (is that correct?) throughout the house and think I should have at least one quick dialer on each floor.

I suppose having a touch-tone handy besides a pulse (rotary) is a good thing. I'd prefer to use my rotary more often, but alas, with those automated menus that every place has, you have to have a tone phone available.

Still, I think my rotary phone from the 30's has clearer reception at times than the modern cordless in my house; that thing seems to get so much static if you're more than fifteen feet away from it!

 

[LizzieMaine]

One way around the rotary/tone issue is to get a pocket tone dialer -- a little gizmo with a key pad and a speaker that fits over the mouthpiece of your phone -- the device generates any tones you need and can even store phone numbers for autodialing. I keep one in my desk drawer, and on those occasions when I can't get an actual live person it comes in handy!

 

[Dinerman]

Still, I think my rotary phone from the 30's has clearer reception at times than the modern cordless in my house; that thing seems to get so much static if you're more than fifteen feet away from it!

the redbar is so much better than the cordless phones we have in the rest of the house. They get static, the volume fades, and they sound generally tinny. I usually have to resort to the rotary midway through conversations, because I just get sick of dealing with the crummy reception on the other phones.

 

[dhermann1]

There used to be an old phone in my grandmaother's house that was very similar to the WE 202, but my recollection is that it had a somewhat rounder and heavier base. Just a little. Does this ring a bell (sorry) with anyone? Or is my memory cloudy? It was "de-installed" decades ago, and I've always wished I could have grabbed it. It was nice heavy bakelite, with a soft matte patina., and as I recall the handset had chrome around the circumference of the mouth piece.

 

[Starius]

I can't tell you how pleased I am to see several Western Electric 302 phones in this thread. It is my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE PHONE of all time.

It's one of the first phones to have the bell ringer housed inside of the phone casing and it's simplistic deco curves are just pure perfection. It was designed by renowned industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss and was actually one of his first design jobs when he set out on his own after being a theatrical stage designer.

He mentions the time briefly in his 1955 book, "Designing for People" where he talked about how he designed it for a new phone design contest.... I believe the prize was 1000 dollars for the "phone of the future" design. (Which sure is a good hunk of money in the 1930s) Henry was approached to do a design. He told the Bell representative that design should be done from the inside out and requires close collaboration with with the phone engineers. The representative thought that method would be too limiting on the artist's scope. So they left it at that.
Months later, the representative returned with a changed mind. Apparently the other phone design entries were, though original, too impractical. He wanted to hear more of Henry's ideas. The rest is history.

Sorry, just had to share. Henry Dreyfuss is a stylistic hero of mine.