SPECIALTY ITEMS

The items on this page are unique and may not fit into other categories of this website.
Examples would be desksets, decorative pieces, and a variety of other telephone related devices.

The item above is called a Telephone Cover as listed in the Ovington's Winter Catalog, 1921-22,
New York City.  The cost at that time was $35.  It is one of two designs of which I'm aware.
Telephones of that era were not viewed as pretty or decorative, so were hidden away in a variety
of cabinets and enclosures.  A poor man's version appears on this webpage.

 This is a very special candlestick telephone cabinet, designed to "hide" the phone from view.  The back slides up so that the connected phone can be placed in the cabinet with cords exiting the back.  The phone sits on a slide-out shelf.  To the side of the phone is a pocket for phone books.  Below the phone is a drawer for storing desk items.  There is a decal in the drawer with the name of the manufacturer, Imperial Furniture Company, made in Grand Rapids, Michigan.  There is also a small stool that fits between the legs of the desk.  This one is very tastefully ornate with some door design and other subtle features, suitable for most any home decor.  I bought this in Las Vegas in an antique store in 1990.

 
This small display case contains three different early Bell System First Aid kits, all with the 1921 Bell logo/decal.  In addition, there are two paper weights issued around 1910 by the Sunset Telephone Company, one of California's early telcos, ultimately acquired by Pacific Telephone.  On the bottom shelf are a variety of receivers.  The front corner ones are likely Western Electric longpoles with a very early testman's combination receiver and transmitter in the middle.  Others behind include a very early W.E. pony, a more common pony, a Stromberg Carlson, and a couple of others.  These receivers are currently residing in this case until they have a phone from which to hang.


This is a 293S which has a very unusual 
clamping device to ensure that the receiver
remains on the switchhook. I assume
this might have been installed on a 
sea going vessel.
____________________________________________________

These are W.E. "E" handset mountings, one a 205 and
the other a 208.  The difference was the number of 
line pickups, hold key, intercom line and signalling features, as well as the central equipment.  The keys
located just below the wall set above are also part of the 205 system.  These sets have been wired to light 
the lamps corresponding to the colored buttons, for demo purposes.
________________________________________________________

This solid wood (not plywood) doll was made prior to 1929 for the purpose of hiding or "dressing up" what were considered ugly telephones. The MP is removed, inserted through the precut hole and threaded back into the transmitter faceplate. The phone is easily used with the "doll" in place. On the reverse of this example, a note was written in pencil in 1929 by the owner who was by the nature of the writing and grammar, poorly educated. The note was written to someone or was simply a diary note to record the events of the day.
________________________________________________________

This is the reproduction Bell System shade manufactured by John Infurna.
_______________________________________________________

Another view of the reproduction Bell System shade.
________________________________________________________

This is the prototype of John Infurna's blue shade prior to the cobalt coloring process.
______________________________________________________

This is an Automatic Electric Type 4 or Type 14.  It's very unique andseldom seen.  The dial is mounted in a special "dial head" that can beattached to either end of the wall hanging unit, depending on the dialinghabits of the user.  This phone contains a network but not a bell.
______________________________________________

This is a very special Model "302" telephone set designed for the hard of hearing.  The phone was furnished with a black container that contained three drycell batteries.  The latter provided the power for the amplifier that increased the volume in the handset. This phone was permanently loaned to me by my friend, Dr. Jon Finder, famous Pittsburgh medical school professor.
 

This picture shows the cradle area of the phone and the left hand cradle plunger that the user pulled up and turned from Low to Medium to High depending on the desired volume.  Replacing the handsetdepressed the plunger and turned off the amplified circuit, thus conserving the batteries.  An additional upward pull of the plunger also turned off the amplifier for the user with normal hearing.  This phoneworks now just as it did when manufactured in the mid-forties.
________________________________________________________

This is a W.E. 551 board that was installed somewhere for the first time in 1938.  It is wired for 10 incoming trunks and 20 stations.  Currently, one of our telephone lines terminates on the board and five or six stations are connected to candlesticks and the phone booth.  When the room was built in 1991, it was wired for a future switchboard and multiple stations.  The board is in immaculate cosmetic and working condition.
________________________________________________________

There is a variety of phones in this picture. The end phones on the top row are Strowger Intercom phones with very special dials.  The phones are still connected to their heavy multi-pair cables. The second phone is seen elsewhere on this site.  The brown phone is a Kellogg "ashtray" and is rare due to its color. 
The left most phone on the bottom shelf is a standard W.E. "D" mount with a non-slip advertising attachment.  The next phone is the AE "transition" phone:It has the bell in the base and the induction coil in the handset. Next to it is a Kellogg Grabaphone and the phone on the right end is a Northern Electric brown deskset that has never been used.
________________________________________________________

This arm is called a Flexiphon.  It attaches to the wall and can swivel from left to right and be raised and lowered.  It was probably installed between two desks permitting two persons to use the same phone.  The unit will accommodate mostany make of candlestick phone that has a detachable base.
_______________________________________________________

This arm is named Equipoise and carries the Holtzer Cabot name.  Otherwise, it is identical to the Flexiphon except for the fact that it has a clamp for holding a complete candlestick phone.  This arm attaches to the wall or the side of a desk in the same manner.
____________________________________

This British speed dialer was invented/manufactured circa 1929 by American and British telephone companies.  The purpose was to reduce the time it takes for an operator to dial a number.  The operator would punch in the number as rapidly as possible and the automatic dialing mechanism would do the dialing while
the operator went on to other calls.  The literature mentions a 12 second savings on each call which by the end of the day adds up to many more calls per operator. This device will work on today's phone lines.
________________________________________________________



 HOME