| What do you collect? | Fashion + Jewelry | Watches + Clocks | Pottery + Glass | Furniture + Home | Art + Photos | Music + Movies | Toys + Games | Sports | Coins + Stamps | Paper + Books | Advertising | Autos + Transport. | Eras | Other » |
| What do you collect? | Fashion + Jewelry | Watches + Clocks | Pottery + Glass | Furniture + Home | Art + Photos | Music + Movies | Toys + Games | Sports | Coins + Stamps | Paper + Books | Advertising | Autos + Transport. | Eras | Other » |
People started collecting phones shortly after Alexander Graham Bell patented them in 1876. Some of those early handmade wood telephones from the 1880s (e.g. those marked Charles Williams Jr. or American Bell) are among the most prized finds for telephone collectors.
Collectible antique and vintage telephones basically fall into three groups. Wood wall phones, which were produced from 1876 up through WW2, have lost much of their appeal (except those earliest models) as few collectors still remember growing up with them. Candlestick phones, produced from the 1890s through the 1920s, are still in great demand, especially the earliest turn of the century nickel-plated models...
Desk sets, including most phones after 1930, are the bulk of the hobby today, and range from early 1920s models with ringer boxes to the groovy 1960s and 70s Ericofon, Princess and Trimline models. The most commonly found phones are rotary dial models such as the Western Electric 202s (1930s), 302s (1940s-50s), and 500 sets (1960s and 70s).
While Western Electric is the big name for many American collectors, makers like Automatic Electric, Kellogg Switchboard and Supply, Stromberg Carlson and others are also in high demand. Many telephone collectors also focus on related items such as telephone signs and switchboards.
How did I get started collecting antique telephones? As a kid I always liked phones, using them, talking on t… [more]
I like mechanical things. I’ve collected outboard motors, things like that in the past. I got into the tele… [more]
If you're into old phones, check out this 600-page repository of images and historical information. Includes an ext… [read review or visit site]
Richard Rose's tribute to the Ericofon, a colorful, stylish concept phone introduced in Europe in the 1950's and th… [read review or visit site]
Mike Neale's fantastic collection of scanned PDFs showcasing the history and products of the Kellogg Switchboard an… [read review or visit site]
For those who want highly detailed information on specific Western Electric antique and vintage telephone models su… [read review or visit site]
Got a site to suggest? Let us know.
Are we missing one? Tell us.
Coolest Gadgets
One thing I've always preferred is to own an older retro looking phone. However, I'm not so fond of actually using one as my main phone, since I like being ...
Examiner.com
Big 3 Summer Safety Concerns: Part 3
Examiner.com
Back in the day that ever seems to grow further back; we had a rotary phone, 5-speed bikes and feet. These were out entrée to communication and fun with ...
Gizmodo Australia
Although it's cute and clever, imagine the mayhem this table desk telephone lamp will cause. We'll start hearing reports about grandpas with singed ear ...
Des Plaines Times
Pretend you have an old rotary phone and don't press any buttons. •Fib. Press the option for account collections or sales or account cancellation. ...
Boston Globe
Seeking the truth on what's buried beneath Brooklyn
Boston Globe
A phone line installed during Diamond's initial explorations runs along the tunnel's wall and connects to a dusty black rotary phone. ...
Atlantic Online
At first, it seemed like another moment to engage in brief, Pavlovian nostalgia of the rotary telephone or monophonic record album sort. ...
The Tennessean
But like he's never used a rotary phone, he'll never have to hop on a bus to play a home game." Father Ryan will be the third Nashville private school to ...
Examiner.com
Rainy days make perfect horror story reading
Examiner.com
In the cellar with him is an antique telephone, long since disconnected, but which rings at night with calls from the dead... If I were you, dear reader, ...
Cult of Mac
A similar fate met another iPhone case, a felt version of an old-style rotary phone. In a sign of the popularity of home-made felted alternatives to ...
Chicago Tribune
Why I love my iPhones
Chicago Tribune
I remember when we had a rotary phone and a party line. We would have to wait for the neighbors to finish their call before we could make ours. ...
