Vintage Phones

[docneg]

f the microphones give you problems in yours, unscrew the cap and take out the carbon element, turn it over, and give the metal button on the back a few whacks with a pencil. That will unpack the carbon granules and you should sound much more clear when you talk. (A trick taught to me by my mother, an old-time Bell System operator.)

Thank you for that tip, Lizzie! My 202 and 302 thank you as well.

 

[inge77]

corded phones are best

I definitely agree with what one of you sad about how annoying it is to talk to someone who's using a wireless or cell phone. Though I'm not lucky enough to have a Golden Era phone, both of my telephones are corded. I refuse to have a cordless phone--I can't stand those things! They die constantly, sound scratchy, etc. What's the point?? I really have no pressing need to walk all over the apartment (or house, when I'm at my parents') while speaking on the phone. And the only time my phones would die is the outside line got struck by lightning or was otherwise damaged. Which won't happen very often. I've encouraged more than one friend to get a corded phone b/c it's so difficult to talk to them since they have the cordless. All in all, old phones are best!

 

[vitanola]

Any "Common Battery" or "Central Energy" telephone in good order will work well on modern telephone lines. This telephone standard was introduced in the early 'Nineties (in 1892 or 1893, as I recall) and was the principle system used in city central offices after the turn of the last century. "Local Battery" (i.e. "Magneto", or "crank") lines were commonly used for rural service until well after the Second World War, for the line plant for this service was much less expensive.

Virtually any complete telephone instrument which was originally issued without a crank will give satisfactory service on a modern telephone line without need of modifications of any sort. Of course in service dial instruments are preferable to non-dial, as with the non-dial instrument one is limited by the memory capabilities of one's voice-recognition dialer, but even so, non-dial sets are suitable for general service.

 

[Fletch]

The DeShays Detective Agency, my Iowa home office, is equipped with a working WE 302, dated 1947, with Type 6 "whirring" dial. (I'm told Types 4 and 5, which "clickety-clack," are more sought after.)

There is a noticeable drop in volume when another phone on the line is picked up, but as yet this presents no real difficulties.

 

[Paisley]

I definitely agree with what one of you sad about how annoying it is to talk to someone who's using a wireless or cell phone. Though I'm not lucky enough to have a Golden Era phone, both of my telephones are corded. I refuse to have a cordless phone--I can't stand those things! They die constantly, sound scratchy, etc. What's the point?? I really have no pressing need to walk all over the apartment (or house, when I'm at my parents') while speaking on the phone. And the only time my phones would die is the outside line got struck by lightning or was otherwise damaged. Which won't happen very often. I've encouraged more than one friend to get a corded phone b/c it's so difficult to talk to them since they have the cordless. All in all, old phones are best!

My cordless phone sounds fine. [huh]

 

[dhermann1]

I have a Northern Electric Galion phone (made in Galion, Ohio). It works great, but I recently installed voice over internet phone service, so I have to reconnect everything to make it work again. If you have VOIP, you'll need a little beeper thingy to dial out on it, tho it will work just fine with incoming calls.
For the few months I had regular service with the phone, I got a charge out of the nostalgic feeliing of doing old fashioned dialing.
I guess there's a while generation out there for whom the word "dial" has only figurative meaning.

 

[Lily Powers]

I have a 1930's Western Electric bull nose candlestick phone that's been refurbished to work with modern phone jacks. It's great... cloth cords, the ringerbox has that classic 'brrrring' - but it's a dial phone, so no checking voicemails at work, doing banking over the phone, or pressing buttons to get thru annoying phone trees, so keep a touch-tone in the house if you need to do those things.

 

[DodgeDeluxe]

Here's my late '30's early '40's era Bell Western Electric 302, atop of a vintage golden era "gossip chair" that gets regular use.

I also have a '60's era Western Electric rotary desk phone on my desk that get used daily as well. I'm looking for a nice wall phone now.

Dan

 

[cynthiacolombo]

Thanks!

Thank you all for the great advice. Dan that phone and table are really swell! I am watching a few things on ebay to see how far up they go, I would really like a 202 but am thinking I should start with a 302, they seem more prevalent and you don't have to worry about the whole bell box thing. Next phone in the library may be a 202.
Thanks again everyone.
Cindy:fedora:

 

[Subvet642]

My wife and I have one (and for the life of me, I can't remember what model, except that I think it was called a "Red Bar"), and it works better than any modern one I've ever used.

 

[PoohBang]

here's my Western Electric 202.

It didn't come with the ringer box but I finally found the correct 624 box for it.

Works like a charm.

You have to be careful with the headset not to just plug it in without the box or you'll ruin the speakers...

I have more pics on my blog...

 

[HodgePodge]

I would love to use the old rotary phone in my grandma's basement as a land line if/when I decide I need more than my cellphone, but my understanding is that starting sometime this year rotary phones will no longer function - in my neck of the woods, atleast - because the phone companies are switching over to a, uhmm, I think digital signal, that wont recognize rotary dialing.

 

[BinkieBaumont]

"This my 232 series or "Pyramid" Telephone its English from the mid 1930's it has a pull out tray for dialling codes, and a plaited silk cord ,most Americans would have seen them on the Transatlantic Ocean, Liner Queen Mary. The little box beside it is for placing calls on hold, it has a music box mechanism, and plays jolly tunes whilst you mix another cocktail.

"I have a green one in the study and another white one in my bedroom,( both 240 series, which are more square in shape) and I also have a NOVAPHONE retro handset for my cell phone, which is a lot of fun , causes a few looks when i use it in the street

 

[ScionPI2005]

I don't make a lot of calls, but at anytime I have the opportunity, I prefer to use my landline phone, pictured here.

I got this one off of ebay somewhere around eight years ago, and it still works great. I did replace the cord from the handset to the base once, because the original was beginning to develop shorts and my conversations were cutting out. I was able to find a new old stock cloth cord from an online seller and replace it myself.

 

[DodgeDeluxe]

I have Time Warner digital phone service and both of my rotary phones function fine.

Dan

 

[Firefyter-Emt]

Yes, my home office sports a 1958 WE-500 on my desk and is my primary office line. My workday is split between hetic auto/mobile based laptop, 12v printer, gps, & cell phone that I almost sigh when I sit at my vintage oak desk and dial out on the rotary phone. I just wish I could clean all the computer stuff off my desk and have maybe a simple laptop. I guess I could do that, but I would need to remove my hommee computer... [huh]

 

[Telegrams]

What are the chances when that phone rings somebody's gonna lose a paw?

 

[scotrace]

Welcome, Telegrams!

Not exactly an OSHA setup.

 

[ScionPI2005]

What are the chances when that phone rings somebody's gonna lose a paw?

Not exactly an OSHA setup.

lol

True. The answerer must be very careful when answering this phone. In all honesty though, if someone is sitting at the desk when the phone rings, they are more likely going to have a heart attack than suffer the loss of their hand.

 

[billysmom]

Coffin Phone

Our house was built in 1940. so when we remodeled the kitchen a couple of years ago it seemed appropriate to replace the tacky Princess wall model ...

Sue