In my quest to find that perfect vintage rotary telephone I have purchased many, many phones—mostly from eBay but also from other sources. When I arrive home to find a package waiting for me on the front porch it’s like getting a birthday present, or a Christmas present all year! I find it exciting to open a box and see just what I have bought this time. I like them dirty (not broken) and wonder about the history of the telephone. I wonder where the telephone sat or hung for all the years—while in service and since someone decided to unplug it and get a more modern instrument. So opening up that box is the first step of the process of restoring and returning the telephone into service. Read the rest of this post »

As I have probably written in previous posts one aspect of my interest in collecting these rotary dial telephones is the enjoyment I get when I have finished detailing a phone–seeing and using the fruits of my labor. I will often get into a certain model or color for a while and then switch to something else. For example for several weeks last month I worked strictly on red model 500’s. There are many red 500’s out there, many of them listed For Sale on eBay. But it is not often that I see one that meets my criteria for a telephone that I’d like to restore. And that criteria is what I search for–with some degree of success. I can usually tell by glancing at a photo whether or not it is a telephone worthy of my restoration. Don’t get me wrong, I think all rotary dial telephones have value as a “vintage” decorative piece to accentuate room decor–even those manufactured in the 1980’s. However the telephones I enjoy working on the most actually have the most value as a collectible. Read the rest of this post »