Telephones

[AlroyFarms]

So I did some work for an ex-hoarder/ antique collector and dumpster diver. Instead of accepting cash payment I got to pick something from his junk collection. 

I scored big with a hand crank phone. I guess I am starting a new hobby collection now. I wish I still had some of my old Nokia phones and flip phones. 

Fun little story: I still remember my first girlfriend's number from 7th grade. It was XX9-11XX. So when the buttons wore out on the first 2 commonly used touch tones I ended up calling 911 and hung up in a panic. Had the cops dispatched out a few times ha. 

This a Western Electric  317AH (circa. 1907-1940's) 







These ones I already had and they're not super special other than sentimental reasons. 

The black rotary is a PTT-51553 and I was able to pin down production to 1965. The yellow wall mount is a Western Electric 2554 with the touch tone pad introduced in 1963. The perforated table is for your phone with the bottom shelf being for your phone book (circa. 1950's-1960's.) Gonna need to track down an actual phone book and see what else I can find at thrift stores and antique stores in the future. 

[andy06shake]

Interesting piece of memorabilia. 

[UltraBudgie]

i have one of these



to remind me
telephones are evil

people ask "can i text you that"
and i'm like "lol you can try"

[Steamer]

LOVE THIS;
    MY OLD HOBBY WAS PHONE COLLECTING, ALL WERE BEAUTIFUL.  KEEP SUCH INTEREST FOREVER UP FRONT.     

WISH ALL SUCH COLLECTORS, ALL THE VERY BEST

[RickyD]

My grandfather worked for Bell after the war...he also collected phones. That first phone is pretty rare...especially if its still functional. Growing up we had a full sized all wood phone booth from like the 50s-60s. I still remember sitting in there making calls from the rotary phone. When you closed the door the light inside turned on for you and the phone had the original prices and such still in the displays. 10 cents a call and all kinds of long-distance and such charges listed. Wish I had pictures because I have never seen anything like it since...especially fully functional in pristine condition.

[fiveandtwo]

I still have a push button kitchen wall phone.  It’s probably 1980ish.

[rickymouse]

We had a pretty nice collection of dial phones and some early push button phones.  We still have three, but our daughter started collecting phones so the wife gave lots of them to her.  We do like the dial phones, kind of nostalgic.  We have one in the garage yet, and one in the basement but the new power from the phone lines is less, so the speaker volume is low on them now. The newer ones from the seventies took less power so they are not too bad.  We still have landlines.

I like the loud ring of the phones ringing, better than the little sound from a cell phone and at a month from seventy, my hearing is not as good as it used to be.  I don't want to have to be carrying a cell phone everywhere with me, the signals from the phones seem to interfere with cognition...which makes me wonder, are they giving everyone cell phones to lesson our common sense so we cannot evaluate what is happening in this country?

[AlroyFarms]

Who can forget Bruce Lee going undercover as the shy telephone repair man before busting up the entire dojo 

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