The Talking Machine Forum — For All Antique Phonographs & Recordings

De Soto Frank wrote:Is it for display, or use ?

If just display, a Western Electric or similar candle-stick w/o dial will probably be cheaper.

If you want one to use, make sure the network / ringer-box come-with.

There was an outfit called Phoneco that dealt in antique phones and parts, don't know if they're still around or not.


I have a beautiful Western Electric 202 set still in operation in our front hall-way, complete with E-style hand-set and "spit-cup" transmitter.

Frank, I don't plan on using it. I don't want a dial phone.

However, I think I would like something that is functional, just from a collection stand point.

I might be tempted to wire a couple sets for use within the house, just for fun.

Best
Fran

De Soto Frank wrote:Is it for display, or use ?

I have a beautiful Western Electric 202 set still in operation in our front hall-way, complete with E-style hand-set and "spit-cup" transmitter.

Unfortunately, your working antique phones may soon stop working.

AT&T, Verizon, and others are in a campaign to eliminate POTS (plain old telephone service) by 2020.

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014 ... ead-at-fcc

Hi Fran,
Just got back from France last Thursday night at 9;00 pm, 3;00 am Paris time. We are still resetting our body clocks and trying to catch up on deleting Emails, pay bills, buy food etc.
Just saw your post and thought I would share the images it brought back.
My father had a Hardwood Floor laying and refinishing business staring in about 1932 and had to have a business phone. The business phone allowed a certain but limited number of out going calls and we were one of the only families in our block to have a phone. Many times neighbors asked to place a call at our house. Eventually, between my sister born in 1928 and the neighbors using the phone my Mother had to begin charging five cents for people wanting to make a call and by the 1940 my Father had to get a private line as well because of the many long calls my sister made. The phones did not have a dial and they worked forever flawlessly. Eventually, some time about 1950 the phones were replaced with dial phones as the phone company wanted to lower overhead.
I worked for my Father in the summer saving money for College but in 1962 I received a Western Electric scholarship which came with a job at the Baltimore plant. My first summer I was assigned to find a solution to the coiled cord production line. In the hot humid summer the coiled cords that had been heat treated in the oven would stick to the mandrel they were wound on. There were enough ladies on the line to keep up until lunch break. After lunch it was impossible to catch up with the back log.
This is getting long and I best say if you truly want to know the end of the story give me a call, if you still have my phone number, if not drop a pm and I will send it to you again.
All the best,
Allen
Allen

Thank for sharing your story Allen, that's a great memory!

Fran

So I bought this book, the journey begins...

Oceangoer1 wrote:I personally like the candlestick phones with the rotary dial on them. Some don't have the dial, I believe they were meant as in home extension lines.

Possibly so. My grandparents had a candlestick phone without a dial because the phone system in their town was all operator-assist. This was in Anderson, SC in the 1940s.

It's my understanding (small as it is) that the candlestick phones with dials came after those without, and that many were retrofitted later with dials.

Was this the case?

Fran

fran604g wrote:It's my understanding (small as it is) that the candlestick phones with dials came after those without, and that many were retrofitted later with dials.

Was this the case?

Fran

The rotary dial was not introduced until 1919 by Western Electric. Even then, there were very few in service (mainly in cities) . Prior, you had to ask an operator to connect you with the number you wished. Candlesticks with a dial are far more collectible....unless you are collecting some of the very early sticks pre-1900 potbelly's,etc....
Regardless of a dial or not, you will also need a ringer box with a stick in order to ring. You can find a good clean example of a WE or NE for under $300 with ringer box.
I would look at a nice WE circa 1920's. Using one will only upset your friends as you will sound like your talking into a tin can.

It should be mentioned that Almon Strowger invented the Strowger switch circa 1890's (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strowger_switch). His system had eleven digits....the eleventh for contacting a long distance operator. These models are $$$.

A word of caution .....you should never crank a magneto when connected to modern lines. The charge can and will do serious damage and you will be faced with a large repair bill. This was originally to contact the exchange operator when placing a call. If you lived is a more rural area, you had a larger magneto in your phone.

Watch out for shiny brass phones as they are not original. Most candlestick phones were usually black or nickel plated.
If I were a phone newbie, I would look for a more common Western Electric or Kellogg or Stromberg Carlson candlestick.
The dial models started showing up after 1920.

I remember Jerry Donnell had a candlestick phone in his front parlor.edisonplayer