The majority of the pictures on this webpage are built-in areas or display cases where the majority of my collection is displayed.
This showcase was an old formica covered display that has been veneered with quarter sawn oak skins. The edges and top are of solid quarter sawn oak stock.. I have moved some of my favorites to this showcase located in the same room as the switchboard, the phonebooth, and my W.E. Type 20 stick collection.
This is my primary display area
where many of the items I like to
look at regularly can be found. My
desk is just opposite this built-in
area.
The area below the display is
drawers and storage, faced with
quarter-sawn oak.
Many of my coin collectors and older
candlesticks are visible in this photo.
Most if not all the candlesticks
have one or more rare or not easy
to find attachments.
Some of these sets now reside in the
glass showcase pictured at the top
of this group of photos.
This is a better view of some of the
phones and attachments seen in
the photo above.
After viewing the entire site,
you will note that many of the
phones seen in these group photos
are highlighted or described elsewhere.
This area is opposite the
built-in display area.
This area is subject to
change as I acquire new
items to replace those I
move or no longer keep.
This is the wall just to the right of the picture above. In the center of the photo are the W.E. 205 and 208 sets that are wired to busy lamp boxes which actually come on when the handsets are off hook. The wall set above them is a special “205” unit with the same keys as found on the desksets.
Under the sets mentioned above is a W.E. 505 cordless switchboard that is not yet fully functional but will be when other projects have been completed.
This is where I display many little
items. Most are Bell System related,
but there are others which are simply telephone related.
These are some of my W.E. color sets.
I have five of the six colors of
305 sets (ringer on/off switch), several two-line 410 sets, and a large number of standard 302 sets.
The top row is painted sets (Imperial, Continental, etc.) and the bottom row
includes the ivory 354 wall set and three stacolview2ndard color 302’s.
Here are several of my colored A.E. desksets. The rarest of them all is the orchid AE 1A. The nile green model just to the left of it is new old stock and was never installed. These phones were made in 9 colors plus black. These were also the colors of the AE mouthpieces for candlesticks.
These are AE Type 50 sets or “jukebox” phones.
The one on the left is a special phone in two ways: The color is a custom color not seen before by this collector; and the phone is equipped with special clamps that hold the handset in the cradle, suggesting that the phone was manufactured for an ocean going vessel. The phone next to it is the walnut color, followed by the blue and ivory. All but the ivory are pretty rare colors and seldom seen in collections.
The top row includes my A1 sets, a special “PacBell/School Property” “D” deskset,
and a “B” deskset sitting atop a special attachment which turns a radio off when
the phone is placed on the platform.
Removing the phone turns the radio on.
This was obviously an early device that
helped phone users hear better when
using these early telephones. The bottom
row is color Monophones, including the
rare ivory model which has no finger
grips on the sides but instead a butler’s
or basket handle in the same matte
gold finish.
In the center of this photo is a very rare 7J coin collector mounted below a standard W.E. 293 wall phone. The black collector accepts 5 cents only. When the phone above is off hook and a nickel is dropped, the operator is alerted. The operator, with a flick of a switch, can either collect the coin or return it to the user. The small box below the coin collector is a switch used to demonstrate how the collector functions. On the wall to the left of the 7J collector is a very rare 13A collector that willl accept quarters, dimes, and nickels. The internal mechanism “senses” the coin and sounds three, two, or one gong depending on the coin inserted. The gong could be heard by the operator who would know when the phone user had deposited the correct amount for the call.
This is a view of a number of telephones
and other collectibles. Most of these
items are described elsewhere on the
website. The ballgum machine provides
M&M peanuts year round.
This view is in the combination guest room,
mini-museum, and bonus room, where
the switchboard, phone booth, and other
telephone items reside. The little W.E.
wallset on the upper right has a factory
mounted, two-line switch visible
below the decal.
Located adjacent to the picture above are several trade stimulators, coin operated gambling machines from the thirties. These machines were most often found in bars,taverns, or other locations frequented by the public.Most of the machines accepted more than one denomination of coins. Most were mini-slot machines with three wheels which pictured fruits or cigarette brands. The right combination of items won the player free drinks, cigarettes, or money. The orange and green machine on the right is a Mills Vest Pocket that pays off in nickels.The tables on which the machines sit are Betamal telephone tables that don’t have the fold out seats.
