Vintage Phones

[Tony in Tarzana]

I love the 302. Pre-WWII, heavy as heck. The one on my desk is from 1938, and it works great. My cordless phone from 1999 is about ready for the scrapheap.

[airfrogusmc]

Our everyday phone

[Rosie]

I currently have 2 WE 500s. I'm looking for some earlier models though, as soon I figure out what I really want.

[The Reno Kid]

This phone hangs in my hallway and probably gets more use than any other in the house:

1940 Western Electric 653A

In addition, I have a 1931 WE 202 in my living room. I don't have a photo of it handy but I borrowed a picture of one that looks just like it:

Western Electric 202

The ringer for the 202 is mounted on the wall behind the sofa and it sounds great. Both phones work fine. Neither is restored. I had to do a little bit of work on the 202. Apparently a previous owner had tried to work on it and rewired it incorrectly. I have a schematic, so I was able to hook everything back up correctly in about 15 minutes. I ended up with a very nice phone at a deep discount.

I have found that I can even use some modern features like call waiting. I just depress the hook briefly when I hear the signal and I get the second call. Depress it again and I'm back on line 1. To me, the WE 653 (and its earlier incarnation, the 553) are the coolest telephones out there.

By the way, you can use these things in situations requiring touch tone. Radio Shack (and other places as well, I'm sure) sell a tone generator that's about the size of a deck of cards. It's designed for this very application and is easy to use.

I don't own a cell phone. I don't want to be that easy to get in touch with.

[The Wingnut]

Here's mine:



Picked up in Oregon for a fraction of the current going rate. Prices for these things have gone through the roof! Pretty nuts. Cracked mine open and wired in a modern modular jack, but was able to do so in a way that retained the original cord. I'm working on getting a line run from the bedroom to the front room so it'll work, something I should be able to finish tomorrow night.

302s were often called the 'Banker's last ditch' because you could crack a holdup thug in the head with the receiver or even the whole phone and knock him out cold!

[airfrogusmc]

Wing I really like the radio to!!!

[The Wingnut]

Thanks! If the place burned down, I'd run back in and drag it out!

[SGB]

Thanks! If the place burned down, I'd run back in and drag it out!

You'd better, or you'll have me to contend with, and I can get real nasty.....
SGB

[Sefton]

Here's mine:



Picked up in Oregon for a fraction of the current going rate. Prices for these things have gone through the roof! Pretty nuts.

I had a feeling I might be going nuts...I paid a lot for mine. At least I know that it's going to last..and last..and last!

Yours really looks sharp on top of that radio!

[skinnychik]

I love my WE 500, but, like Rosie, I would like an older phone. Still, I love the way it sounds when it can be bothered to ring. I think it's much better for a long phone call than a cell phone. The receiver is fat enough to rest comfortably on my shoulder, and it doesn't get all warm on my ear. I'm pretty sure old phones haven't been connected to brain tumors the way new ones have either.
A pic of one from a Bell site.