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Porcelain telephone signs became common in the late 1800s, as the public needed to be directed to the nearest pay station. Typically blue and white with the Bell System logo (or a red shield for independent telcos), these signs generally featured the name of the local phone company (e.g. New England Telephone) plus a brief mention of their connection with long distance. Porcelain telephone signs are highly collectible, depending on rarity, condition and attractiveness.
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public telephone sign
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Interviews & Articles
An Interview With Antique Telephone Collector Gary Goff
How did I get started collecting antique telephones? As a kid I always liked phones, using them, talking on them. As a teenager I … [more]
An Interview With Porcelain Advertising Sign Collector Michael Bruner
I liked to collect things even as a child. Things that didn’t cost anything, like different colors of stones. There was somethin… [more]
An Interview With Antique Advertising and Porcelain Sign Collector Alex Renshaw
How did I get started collecting advertising antiques? My dad was a lecturer and tutor in graphics and art from the 1960s onwards,… [more]
Uncovering Lost Treasure - Antique Art Deco Telephones In Storage Since 1945
Every collector dreams of being the person to uncover cities of lost gold, the next Tutankhamen's tomb, or if not that, an overgro… [more]
Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)
The Telephone Archive
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]
Advertising Antiques
This classy looking British site features hundreds of high resolution photos of antique porcelain pre-war (enamel) … [read review or visit site]
Historical Marker Database
If you're the type who pulls over when you see a 'historic marker ahead' sign, you'll love this site. Orchestrated … [read review or visit site]
Pittsburgh Signs Project
This group artistic effort to catalog the signs of Pittsburgh captures many vintage signs (porcelain, neon, wood, t… [read review or visit site]
Falvo Collectables Gallery
Ralph and Carol Falvo's excellent collection of automobiles, petroliana, jukeboxes, soda, and general store items. … [read review or visit site]
Clubs & Associations: Telephones
- Antique Telephone Collectors Association
- Telephone Collectors International
- Telecommunications History Group
- Telecommunications Heritage Group (UK)
- Australasian Telephone Collectors Society, Inc.
Discussion Forums: Telephones
Other Great Reference Sites: Telephones
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