[Stuart Sweet]

I love old phones. What I love most about my office telephone is that it's got a big rotary dial. Unfortunately my locale is actually doing away with dial service in 2009.

I'm looking for a clean desk phone, must be touch tone. I'd particularly like a Western Electric made sometime between 1965 and 1980. If you're my age or older, you or your folks probably rented this phone from your local Bell company and "forgot" to return it. Well, after 7 years the statute of limitations is up. I'll take it off your hands.

I'd prefer avocado green or "hot line to Moscow" red if possible. I'd prefer a phone that has already been adapted for an [strike]RJ45[/strike] RJ11 plug but if you've got an older one with the 4-post plug (or bare wires) I can deal with that as well.

These phones hardly ever break but I would appreciate if you could test it before you offer it.

PM me if you've got something like this in your attic or basement... I can pay by paypal if desired.

 

[Mavrick]

Stuart have you checked EBay for they have this one in Red with a starting bid of $19.99

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Western...goryZ985QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[Stuart Sweet]

That is pretty much what I am looking for, I'd just rather do business with someone I trust. If no one here can help, the wilds of eBay are my next stop.

 

[Nick]

For $20 you can't get hurt too badly, but you'd have better luck finding one with a 4-wire RJ-11 modular plug rather than RJ-45.

RJ-11 Plug

 

[marvod]

How about a payphone for the garage or game room? I have a couple old Western Electric payphone converted for RJ11 and ready to hang on a wall. $75 plus shipping and they are heavy!!

 

[Stuart Sweet]

DOH! sorry, I have networking on the brain. I'll edit my original post.

 

[fluffybear]

How about a payphone for the garage or game room? I have a couple old Western Electric payphone converted for RJ45 and ready to hang on a wall. $75 plus shipping and they are heavy!!

The last time I had to work with RJ45 & telephones, I had a ATT Merlin. With the ATT Merlin, All 8 wires were necessary in order for the telephone set to operate.

Are all 8 wires necessary with this payphone?

 

[marvod]

The last time I had to work with RJ11 & telephones, I had a ATT Merlin. With the ATT Merlin, All 8 wires were necessary in order for the telephone set to operate.

Are all 8 wires necessary with this payphone?

2 wires are all that's needed. Tip and Ring.

It has an RJ11 jack inside the phone already. Just plug it into the wall. (Yup i screwed up in my original post.)

 

[fluffybear]

2 wires are all that's needed. Tip and Ring.

It has an RJ11 jack inside the phone already. Just plug it into the wall. (Yup i screwed up in my original post.)

see my PM

 

[James Long]

Stuart have you checked EBay for they have this one in Red with a starting bid of $19.99

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Western...goryZ985QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I have one of those in the same color with a rotary dial.

No, it isn't for sale. It is connected to my home PBX which allows rotary dial extensions so it still works fine.

 

[Greg Alsobrook]

I have one of these in my kitchen... I love it!

http://www.coolstuffcheap.com/cr56-bk-black-1950-s-classic-pay-phone-replica.html

 

[fluffybear]

Stuart have you checked EBay for they have this one in Red with a starting bid of $19.99

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Western...goryZ985QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

I had one just like this (Mine was a multi-line - Red Hold Button and 3 line buttons) when I had my ATT Merlin 820, It was used as back-up phone in case power was lost.

I do not have the ATT Merlin any longer but I may be able to get my hands on that phone. I'll give my brother-in-law next week (He is on a cruise this week) a call and see if he is willing to exchange it..

 

[lee635]

Ah, these old phones - a thing of beauty.

Until about ten years ago, I had only big black old rotary dial phones. One time our house flooded and the damned thing tried to ring while in flood water. You could hear the muffled ring and see the waves coming out around the phone - Now that's the reliability of the old monopoly days. I remember moving in the 90's and telling ma bell, no I don't want touchtone service. They sent out something like 4 or 5 technicians over the next couple of months because they couldn't figure out how to turn off touch tone, and I guess they didn't believe someone still had rotary phones.

Married now, so we have darned plastic foreign wireless phones that proly will give us all brain cancer...and the voice quality sucks. Still long for my old black western electric made in the usa....