And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.
If I could post a photo here I would. The black wall phone dates probably 1950. Works very nice. Nice loud ring. Heavy receiver. A narrow wood door center and a 1905 Lenzkirch wall clock, a clean German art noveau style on the right. I wind it once a week.
Best thing about them, no sound limiter. Someone was prank calling my sister, just heavy breathing on their end. I stuck the receiver outside the kitchen window, and fired off my pistol next to it. No more calls! 👍
The letters were for dialing the first two numbers of the prefix. The letter prefix was the exchange name you were connected to. I remember from my youth we were connected to the Edgewood exchange. The listing was ED2-XXXX.
Huntley 5-XXXX. I still remember the rest of #'s, I'm just not listing them because that number is still active. My sister has it now.
Oddly enough, my mother was a telephone switchboard (patch cords) operator in the 50's. She was on the interstate and international switchboard and she was the shift supervisor.
I believe that is a british (or australian or other protectorate) phone. American ones have slightly different lettering.
Having said that, those phones were BULLETPROOF. You could bludgeon someone (or two or three) with any part of the phone, and still use it to call someone.
House in college (mid-80s) had an 'inbound calls only' line. They put a touch tone phone on a line that only had dial service. (Yes, you paid extra for touch tone service.) But you could flash the hook and fake having a dial... that is where 8s, 9s, and 0s really were a pain.
Rotary dials worked great. They were the only game in town when I was growing up along with 4 party lines.
ReplyDeleteI've got an ancient black variety on the wall in my kitchen. Kids don't know what it is or how to operate it.
ReplyDeleteIf it was me I'd hang a big honking analog clock right next to the phone.
DeleteDo kids even know what clockwise and counterclockwise are anymore?
DeleteIf I could post a photo here I would. The black wall phone dates probably 1950. Works very nice. Nice loud ring. Heavy receiver. A narrow wood door center and a 1905 Lenzkirch wall clock, a clean German art noveau style on the right. I wind it once a week.
Deleteat the "office" this AM 11:15 eastern
ReplyDeletehttps://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/c8a2cb40a918c650c7758161a78ea972342e31613efdcb9489996475fe5a18e0.jpg
I went to a play and one of the props was a dial phone on the wall, the actress dialed it in the wrong direction...that just jumped out at me!
ReplyDeleteBest thing about them, no sound limiter.
ReplyDeleteSomeone was prank calling my sister, just heavy breathing on their end.
I stuck the receiver outside the kitchen window, and fired off my pistol next to it.
No more calls!
👍
Obscure variant.
ReplyDeleteO was 6, with M & N, and there was no Q.
Maybe some non-US angloterran version?
Or just so early it wasn't standardized by Ma Bell yet?
Dial 100 for operator, 999 for fire, police, ambulance.
DeleteNot obscure at all. British.
DeleteThe letters were for dialing the first two numbers of the prefix. The letter prefix was the exchange name you were connected to. I remember from my youth we were connected to the Edgewood exchange. The listing was ED2-XXXX.
ReplyDeleteLUdlow
DeleteHuntley 5-XXXX. I still remember the rest of #'s, I'm just not listing them because that number is still active. My sister has it now.
DeleteOddly enough, my mother was a telephone switchboard (patch cords) operator in the 50's. She was on the interstate and international switchboard and she was the shift supervisor.
Nemo
DIamond.
DeleteAnd the home phone still had the six-digit number from the 1940s, even after they added a third digit to the exchange.
We were EXbrook 40852. My younger siblings don’t even remember that. Gosh I’m old.
ReplyDeleteI believe that is a british (or australian or other protectorate) phone.
ReplyDeleteAmerican ones have slightly different lettering.
Having said that, those phones were BULLETPROOF. You could bludgeon someone (or two or three) with any part of the phone, and still use it to call someone.
Beat an intruder unconscious with the phone's receiver then use the phone to call the police. I like it.
DeleteSure can't do THAT with a smart phone.
I still have a three slot pay phone, as well a Bakelite cross cradle wall phone. I am using them as intercoms between the house and the shed
ReplyDeleteMan you are lazy!
ReplyDeleteHouse in college (mid-80s) had an 'inbound calls only' line. They put a touch tone phone on a line that only had dial service. (Yes, you paid extra for touch tone service.) But you could flash the hook and fake having a dial... that is where 8s, 9s, and 0s really were a pain.
ReplyDeleteI got my grandmother's candlestick refurbed a few years ago. Still worked last time I tried to make a call on it about 10 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI buy old Western Bell examples when I find them at antique stores.
DeleteDial and touch-tone.
Unlike that cheap Chinesium plastic crap you get nowadays for landlines and portables, they're built like a Russian tank, and work forever.