July 5, 2008
The Best of Antiques
and Collecting
What are you looking for?
For the first half of the 20th century, most payphones were built by The Gray Telephone and Pay Station Co. of Hartford, Connecticut under contract with Western Electric and other leading companies. In 1889 William Gray got a patent for his innovative coin payment mechanism, which others were unable to replicate. The company also pioneered the popular (and highly collectible) 'three-slot' payphone configuration popular in the 1940s, 50s and 60s.
People started collecting phones shortly after Alexander Graham Bell patented them in 1876. Key varieties include early wood wall phones, candlesticks, and rotary dial ‘desk sets’ made of bakelite, metal, and plastic (e.g. 202, 302, 500, Trimline and Princess). Key U.S. manufacturers include Western Electric, Automatic Electric, Kellogg, and Stromberg Carlson. Payphones and signs are also popular.
If you're into old phones, check out this 600-page repository of images and historical information. Includes an ext… [more]
Richard Rose's tribute to the Ericofon, a colorful, stylish concept phone introduced in Europe in the 1950's and th… [more]
Mike Neale's fantastic collection of scanned PDFs showcasing the history and products of the Kellogg Switchboard an… [more]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
11 Digit Phone Payphone Grey Pay Station Rare$331.24 Ends Wednesday 5 bids
Vintage Chrome Western Electric Pay Phone Telephone Nr!$227.50 Ends Sunday 17 bids
Antique 1950's Chrome Automatic Electric Payphone$225.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids
Northern Electric Three Slot Payphone Telephone Phone $158.05 Ends Sunday 10 bids
Antique 1950s Automatic Electric 3 Slot Payphone Works!$153.50 Ends Wednesday 4 bids
Real Antique Payphone Pay Telephone For Home Use Phone$153.49 Ends Monday 10 bids
Western Electric Three Slot Payphone Telephone Phone $149.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids
Automatic Electric Three Slot Payphone Telephone Phone $149.00 Ends Sunday 2 bids
1950's Chrome Northern Electric Payphone$124.48 Ends Thursday 6 bids
Genuine Pay Phone, Coin Phone, Payphone For Home Use $83.00 Ends in 4 hours 9 bids
1950's Antique 3 Slot Automatic Electric Payphone $61.00 Ends Thursday 5 bids
Genuine Pay Phone, Coin Phone, Payphone For Home Use $56.01 Ends Monday 4 bids
Genuine Pay Phone, Coin Phone, Payphone For Home Use $51.00 Ends Sunday 3 bids
Payphone 2 Elcotel Series 5 Boards,housing(extra Parts)$50.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid
Western Electric Payphone Volume Control 25 C Pay Phone$45.00 Ends Wednesday 5 bids
W.e. 3-slot Payphone Double Coiled Relay W/ Dust Cover$39.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid
Automatic Electric Payphone Coin Chute/track Nos$24.99 Ends Sunday 2 bids
New Phone Sign 12 X 12 Payphone Pay Phone Telephone$20.50 Ends in 8 hours 10 bids
Vintage Repro Reproduction Pay Phone Street Goods 70's$9.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid
Vintage Gong 3 Slot Tin Payphone Toy Telephone Phone$9.95 Ends Monday 1 bid
Aluminum Pay Phone Sign- Double Sided- New!$9.50 Ends Sunday 4 bids
New Bell South Pay Phone Vault Door Payphone Cash Door $7.95 Ends in 8 hours 1 bid
Genuine Pay Phone, Coin Phone, Payphone For Home Use $5.50 Ends Tuesday 2 bids
Genuine Pay Phone, Payphone, Western Electric$4.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid
1950's Chrome Payphone Top W/ Antique Instruction Card $1.99 Ends Sunday 1 bid
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