| What do you collect? | Fashion + Jewelry | Watches + Clocks | Pottery + Glass | Furniture + Home | Art + Photos | Music + Movies | Toys + Games | Sports | Coins + Stamps | Paper + Books | Ads + Signs | Autos + Transport | Eras + Decades | 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.
$255.00 Ends in 4 hours 3 bids 
22 watchers
$99.00 Ends in 5 hours 1 bid 
4 watchers
Source: Google News
Also, director John Neville-Andrews has Holly wandering freely around the set while carrying the rotary phone; this felt wrong, since she would have,...Read more
and some of those desks had old-fashioned typewriters or rotary phones atop them. “Do you know how hard it is to find a rotary phone today?...Read more
rough battle with skeptical short sellers (pros who bet stock prices will fall) who think his venture has all the staying power of the rotary telephone...Read more
She starts receiving mysterious phone calls on her old antique phone from an unknown caller named Rose, and her fears are only heightened when she learns...Read more
He introduced the phones to India, replacing the old fashioned, bulky rotary phones that were in use in the country then. In 1986, Bharti Telecom Limited...Read more
Just a day after Lady GaGa's upcoming mini album "The Fame Monster" was leaked, its official trailer has been made available on her website on Wednesday,...Read more
Fans don't have to wait any longer to listen to the upcoming mini album of Lady GaGa, "The Fame Monster". On Tuesday, November 17, all the songs from the...Read more
By Jacob Goldstein Just in case you're wondering, there's no industry money behind this rather slick video that features two former senators pushing for new...Read more
