| 1880 “Gilliland” Burled Walnut Top Box made for the “American Bell Telephone Co”
This is an 1880’s Burled walnut top box made at the formation of American Bell Telephone Co in 1880. This is a very rare top box made for the “American Bell Telephone Company” by the “Gilliland Electric Manufacturing Company”. The burled walnut inlay on the face of this box is unique to the Gilliland company. The Gilliland Electric Manufacturing Company of Indianapolis Indiana made telephone instruments for the American Bell telephone company. In 1882 the Gilliland Electric Company was acquired by Western Electric company the same year Western Electric became the manufacturing arm of the Bell Telephone company. At that time each operating company of the Bell System used different suppliers and standards to assemble their telephones. It was not until a few years later that the Bell System decided to standardize their telephones and only used Western Electric to manufacture its telephone parts.
The switch hook assembly is a very rare design. The actual switch hook is attached to the inside of the door with the switch hook contact assembly also connected across the inside face of the door.
The top box is 8 ¾” tall and is 6” wide without the switch hook and 4 ¾” high. The crude three bar cast magneto is a friction drive which operates smoothly when the crank is turned. The crank wheel is supported by a gold trimmed bracket on the side of the box. The ringer is heavy duty with large magnet bars over each coil and a unique curved bridge that has adjustment screws on each end of the ringer. The bells are 2 ½” nickel. The bells are held to the bell posts with cast brass nickel bell nuts.
This telephone top box was built for the American Bell Telephone company. There is a large stamp on the left side of the box that reads:
PATENTED
APL. 18. 1878
DEC. 17. 1878
NOV. 11. 1879
MAY 27. 1879
AUG. 21. 1880
JUL. 20. 1880
OTHER PATENTS
APPLIED FOR
MADE FOR AMERICAN
BELLTELEPHONE CO.
& LICENSED TO BE
USED ONLY WITH
ITS TELEPHONES
There are stampings on the door, the back board and top of the four sides of the top box which reads:
614
There is another stamp on the bottom edge of the back board, under the magneto, which reads:
17303
There is a lighting arrestor on the top of the box and terminals for the receiver on the left side of the box.
For Sale - $550 plus shipping |
