Vintage Phones

[LizzieMaine]

I'm having difficulty dating my phone. It has an F-1 handset w/a straight plastic cords. I believe the body is metal and it weighs a ton!! I'm figuring it to be somewhere between 1938 to 1940-something. Is there a way to pinpoint a specific year?

Open it up and look inside -- there'll be two screws on the bottom holding the baseplate in place. Just unscrew, and liftup the plate -- you'll find a date stamp -- "11/38" or some such. Note that Western Electric frequently used parts from different dates to rebuild phones, so you might find multiple stamps, but the earliest date would likely be the date the phone was first manufactured.

 

[David Conwill]

Open it up and look inside -- there'll be two screws on the bottom holding the baseplate in place. Just unscrew, and liftup the plate -- you'll find a date stamp -- "11/38" or some such. Note that Western Electric frequently used parts from different dates to rebuild phones, so you might find multiple stamps, but the earliest date would likely be the date the phone was first manufactured.

I don't suppose you know of a similar procedure regarding Automatic Electric telephones? I'd love to date my AE 80.

-Dave

 

[AtomicEraTom]

AE's are hit and miss. I've got some with dates and some without. Usually they have a large stamped date on the bottom (or back on a wall phone) if there's a date at all.

I don't suppose you know of a similar procedure regarding Automatic Electric telephones? I'd love to date my AE 80.

-Dave

 

[Tony in Tarzana]

The Western Electric date codes give the quarter of the year the part was made, i.e. II-38 means 2nd quarter of 1938. The transmitter and receiver in the handset will each be date coded, but as Lizzie says they may have been replaced over the years too.

 

[Argee]

Does anybody know if an AE40 body with an AE34 handset is a Frankenstein phone or did some come from the factory that way? I've seen three of them over the last few months, and it made me wonder if they are a post factory hybrid or not.

 

[Heather]

My husband asked me a question today that I thought maybe you phone experts could answer? When did they start making phone cords coiled & why?

 

[Shangas]

Curly phone-cords came in during the 1950s, if I remember my history, but as for WHY...I've no idea, and couldn't tell you.

 

[ScionPI2005]

My husband asked me a question today that I thought maybe you phone experts could answer? When did they start making phone cords coiled & why?

I have no idea, but if I had to hazard a guess, I would assume it at least had something to do with trying to shorten the phone cord, while still allowing it to expand when used. Maybe the older cloth-covered cords that were one size caused too many people to trip on them, or children to play with them and caused a choking hazard?

Perhaps the reason is similar to why desk fan grills became less open. Too many chopped off fingers...[huh]

 

[vitanola]

Curly phone-cords came in during the 1950s, if I remember my history, but as for WHY...I've no idea, and couldn't tell you.

The Western Electric Company began offering coiled handset cords in the 1930's. the initial cords of this type were covered in brown Mercerized cotton braid, with the internal conductors rubber insulated.

Coiled cords were scarce until the 1950's though, because they were more expensive than straight cords and had a shorter life, so most of the Bell Operating Companies charged a premium of between twenty-five and fifty cents a month for coiled cord service.

 

[Forgotten Man]

The Western Electric Company began offering coiled handset cords in the 1930's. the initial cords of this type were covered in brown Mercerized cotton braid, with the internal conductors rubber insulated.

Coiled cords were scarce until the 1950's though, because they were more expensive than straight cords and had a shorter life, so most of the Bell Operating Companies charged a premium of between twenty-five and fifty cents a month for coiled cord service.

I've seen some of those early coiled cords... some of them were a type of square or "battlement" type of pattern right? I've seen them in late 30s movies and such... very hard to find today. No one is reproducing them that I know of.

I have just brown straight cords... sure, they do curl up after a while but, just have to let them unwind now and again and they're fine.

 

[Bustercat]

Anyone have any experiences with pulse to tone converters like these? Seems to work on VOIP, as well.

http://www.oldphoneworks.com/antique-phone-parts/parts-and-pieces/pulse-to-tone-converters/

Now, If I can find a way to have my cell phone number ring to my 500 as well..

 

[David Conwill]

The old phone books in Caro have a request to customers printed on them to "kindly unwind your cords from time to time". I guess I understand why, now!

-Dave

 

[feltfan]

Best vintage sound?

This weekend I visited a local flea market where a guy sells vintage phones
he refurbishes. The phone in my home office has finally pooped out
(and it is not worth fixing). What I'd like to get is a vintage phone
with sound good enough to be useful in a modern professional setting.
If I am dreaming, that phone's handset can be cradled on my shoulder
as I type, but that is not important. Think conference calls, long distance
phone meetings, and the like. I need good sound.

I run a Siemens Brothers 354 (I posted a similar phone as the
second post in this thread) which is great and handy and gorgeous
and cost me almost nothing. But the sound, while fine for chatting
with friends, is not up to snuff.

The guy at the flea market recommended a Kellogg redbar and
almost anything from the good old days made by Western Electric
and Northern Electric.

What would you recommend?

BTW, I'm not doubting the recommendations of the guy at the flea
market. I just ended up spending my money on something else
(a Piranesi etching) and so have postponed the decision. So why
not try to learn more in the meantime?

 

[AtomicEraTom]

The Western Electric 500 phone is, in my opinion, the best phone ever built. They are well constructed and back in the day, Ma Bell didn't want to have to go out and service them, so they were built to work with little or no repair.

I know quite a few people who have had them for years and years, some from new, and have hadn't had a problem. They're the way to go in my eyes.

 

[feltfan]

Okay, let me make a minor clarification here- I want that Golden Era
look. So I am thinking phones from the 30s and 40s.

I agree with AtomicEraTom that those 500s were great phones.
But I want something with more of a deco or earlier look to it.
I like the look of redbars and 202s and the Siemens Brothers phone
I have. I just want one with sound comparable to the
Western Electric 500.

Suggestions?

 

[David Conwill]

AE's are hit and miss. I've got some with dates and some without. Usually they have a large stamped date on the bottom (or back on a wall phone) if there's a date at all.

I flipped mine over last night, and on it is stamped “5-67-5". Nearby is my handwritten note that says “AE 80, 1961-1968"; so I’m going to guess that my phone was produced in 1967. Perhaps May 5, 1967.

I wish I could remember how I figured out that 1961-1968 date range, but it’s slipped my mind.

-Dave

 

[LizzieMaine]

Probably the best combination of sound quality and styling would be a WE 302 -- 202s look nice, but especially if they have the original E1 handset they won't sound as good as a 302. You might get away with a 202 retrofitted with an F1 (302 type) handset.

You likely won't be able to balance a 302 handset on your shoulder, though, without one of those attachment things. The flat-backed handset didn't come in until the days of the WE 500.

A perfectly functional 302 shouldn't cost you all that much. If you pay more than $100 for it, they saw you coming.

 

[feltfan]

A perfectly functional 302 shouldn't cost you all that much. If you pay more than $100 for it, they saw you coming.

Thanks, that could work. Ideally I'd like a wall-mount phone.
Any other suggestions?

BTW, it sure looks like online and local prices are going to be
higher than $100. I suspect things cost a bit more in California
than they do in Maine. Also I'd pay more for unusual styling.

 

[LizzieMaine]

Over $100 should get you a "restored" phone, but I'd still think functional ones could be found for less than that -- I have two 302s, unrestored, one of which cost $60 and the other was $35. They were both pulled-from-service units, in as-found condition, and in both cases, all I had to do to get them working was replace the line cord, which cost less than $10 each plus five minutes with a screwdriver. I'm a big believer in doing-it-yourself wherever possible.

Appearancewise, the original finish on these phones is usually fine --

In my opinion, a lot of restorers go way overboard with the glossy powdercoat, when the original WE enamel is perfectly fine.

The wall-mount version of the 302 is the 354 -- they're less common than the 302, and are more expensive, but you should still be able to get a good specimen for $150 or so.

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Dave - Glad that you found the date.

Lizzie - I agree, the 302 would be a great alternative to the 500 as far as the Art Deco look. Also, the 354 would be an ideal wall phone. The guys at http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum may be able to get you one at a very reasonable price. They've always helped me out.