telephones in times past

"Operator Central 213 please"

Many years ago I recall 'party lines' and wall phone with a crank. No dials, it was "Hello Central give me ---" or "Operator give me ---". The 1928 phone was one like my grandmother's, heavy as blazes too.

1949 '500' Type Desk Set is the most commonly used phone in the U.S. today.

Popularly known as the "French phone" because it resembled continental instruments.

1928 Desk Set

America got a new look in telephones in 1927 when the combined receiver and transmitter idea, used since 1878 by telephone linesmen, was sufficiently improved to be adapted for general service.

Within a few years after its introduction it was being offered in a variety of finishes including ivory, gray, statuary bronze, oxidized silver and gold.

1930 Desk Set

This telephone like the 1928 set came with or without dial and resembled its predecessor except that instead of a round base it had an eliptical or oval base.

An innovation in desk set design was the placing of the bell in the base of this model.

1937 '300'Type Desk Set
Earlier versions had housings made of metal but plastic was substituted in the early '40s. This phone served throughout World War II while energies of most phone people was devoted to defense work.

During more than a quarter of a century of service, this type of phone has proved very useful for both internal and external communications.

1938 Telephone Key Set

An early model of a widely used business phone, with one "hold" button and 5 others for calling, signalling or access to other extensions.

Now we head into what my family considered a 'luxury' and an expense we could not afford...color.

The five basic colors that were available were white, beige, green, pink and blue.

1954 '500' type Color Desk set

In 1954 the telephone started to become a decorative household item. Although some colored telephones were available much earler, they did not gain widespread popularity until the advent of the '500' color series.

Colors: White, beige, yellow and pink.

1956 Wall Telephone

The telephone returns to the wall in this companion piece to the '500' desk set. Designed for convenience, the wall set is most often used in the kitchen where counter and table space is at a premium. It is also popular in such areas as basements, garages and covered patios.

And business was not to be left behind.

Colors: White, beige, green, gray, pink and blue.

1958 Speakerphone

Microphone and speaker units free the user's hands. It also permits congerence conversations between groups at different locations.

Colors: White, beige,green and gray.
There are two main types--the 18 and 30 button models which can be used with handset, headset, or speaker phone.

1958 Call Director(R)
Telephone

Used in a variety of business office applications, the set was designed to handle several incoming, outgoing and inter-office calls at the same time.

The lovely background was made by my friend Idjut
I have no idea where I found Putting on the Ritz, if it's yours please let me know.

Home	Hello Central 1876 - 1919	Central page 2 1877- 1907	Phones Pg. 2 1959- 1964
Vintage Phones can buy some		Old phones -updated	Antique Telephone Collectors Assoc.

Phone sale pages are just a resource link. I don't know anything about the companies offering them.