1999

December Highlights

This month Singing Wires says Good Bye to the Twentieth Century. The newsletter is dedicated to the good people of Telephone Collectors International; nothing more than "happy faces, good times, spectacular phones and "feel good" stories from the 1990's."

I have to say that there are a lot of memories in the 28 (count them) pages of this issue! Do you want to become part of the memories for the next century? Check out How to Become a Member for more information.

Onward!.....

The Ultimate Chase: "The Show!" Sell It, Trade It, or Don't Come Home. Al Ilekis reflects on the antique telephone show. This first appeared in an article on the July 1990, St. Charles, MO show.

In Memoriam. Jim Struetker, Peg Chronister, Clare Seplinski, Dave Rader, Faye Anderson, Irwin (Cas) Casady, Marion Rambo, J. B. Boney, Lewis Conover, Bob Newel, Jerry Presti, John Murray, Laurence Colebank, Garnett Smith, David Olson, Donald Woeste, J. R. Brunner, Louis Cohn, Bob Snoufer, Frank Soden, Samuel Deitch and Brent Liebau. It is unlikely that any one of us knew all of them but we were blessed to have shared companionship on this earth with those who we did know. We would like to have listed the names of spouses and parents of collectors too but that is impossible... even so, some of them were as well known as the collectors themselves.

November Elk Grove, IL Show. Paul McFadden reports on the last regional show of 1999.

We Like "Like" for Leich. Perhaps one of the more important issues resolved in Singing Wires. People "in the know" say it's pronounced like "like".

A Rarity among Rarities. Matt Degnen spins a yarn about an unusual Western Electric item that had me rolling on the floor!

Mark Twain's Telephone by Thomas D. Lockwood. Thomas Lockwood was one of the original officials with the Bell Telephone interests. He shares a unique letter he had received from Mark Twain regarding his telephone service. (From Stories by an Early Pioneer ... March 1926 Telephone Topics. Courtesy of Norman Collins)

Merry Christmas Operator by Bruce Crawford. A short article on the routine of the telephone operator. Even though Christmas proved to be very hard on operators, there was one nice thing about working on Christmas Day: Almost every call started with, or ended with "Merry Christmas, Operator" and perhaps "Thank you for getting my call through, operator."

This Old House. Ever see an old movie where the main characters stumble into an abandoned house with an unlocked door and find before them room after room of priceless antiques? The usual reaction is a silent comment of, "Yeah, sure." Believe it or not, it actually happened to George Howard as Paul McFadden relates.

Strenuous Telephone War. When competition between the Michigan Bell Telephone Company and the Union Telephone Company in Owosso, MI grew into an all out war, the Bell company actually paid the expenses of their operators to do their shopping out of town after the local dry goods stores had their Bell phones taken out. (SoundWaves, December 1904, Vol IX No. 1 ... Reprinted in the April 1991 Singing Wires.)

Prototype Telephones from the 1960's. See photographs of several interesting prototype telephones that are in the collections of our members. The one that made it? How about the "Bedroom Phone" otherwise known as "The Princess."

Here's a Well-Iced Report From a Cool Signal Officer. How the Army provides telephone service in the far north. I was starting to swallow it hook, line and sinker until they got to the part about the spray of water to "freeze" the wire to the insulator. (From the June, 1943, Wisconsin Telephone News.)

Dear Editor: Mark Peterson shares his incredible find of NOS parts which seems to have properly "impressed" the editor!

A Salute to Switchers. Paul McFadden: "I have to say that what you switchers do impresses 'the hell' out of me, And we will just keep it that way. In no way am I hinting that any of you take me under your wing and endeavor to 'train me.' I consider myself to be untrainable." Your Webmaster: "That's OK, you sure figured out how to put out a decent newsletter!"

Five Reasons why we collect candlestick telephones! Photographs of some great sets including the gold plated 1901 Viaduct as seen on the main page.

Old Telephones: Curiosities and Characteristics by Charlie Pleasance. Sure it's pretty but wood is also "servicable." Ever wonder why mouthpieces have slots cut in them? And, Why the Bell System Hated Handset Telephones. (Charlie Pleasance is the author of the book The Spirit of Independent Telephony (1989). This article first appeared in the June, 1991 Singing Wires.)

Lightning Knocks out Cedar Knoll Telephone & Telegraph Company by Paul Wills. All I wanted to do is show off my switching and test equipment but Mother Nature put on a more dramatic show! (From the September, 1992 Singing Wires)

A Photographic Interlude. A collection of photographs by editor Paul McFadden. Paul prefers the back roads when traveling to phone shows. The photographic opportunities are well worth it! Also, see some great show photographs of the past.

Hello - Goodbye, My Story of Telephone Pioneering by Angus Hibbard. Angus Hibbard's telephone pioneering career began in Wisconsin in 1877. Much later, he became vice president and general manager of the Chicago Telephone Company (Now Illinois Bell). He was the inventor of the Bell System Blue Bell which was adopted on January 5, 1889. A few excerpts from his book are reprinted here. (This first appeared in the August, 1993 Singing Wires.)

Betty Flowers' "Black Rose." It pays to carefully investigate that ugly phone you see at a flea market. It might be worth more than you think! (From the September, 1993 Singing Wires)

What Would YOU Say ... if you found five Automatic Electric A1A Monophones: Two black with nickel trim, One Pekin Red with gold trim, One Nile Green with gold trim and one Lavender with gold trim. It happened to one collector! (From the August 1993 Singing Wires)

That Sneaky "Key Snatcher." Steve Schack describes the Western Electric 27A lock which is used to retrieve stolen payphone keys. They go in, but they don't come out! (From the October, 1993 Singing Wires)

The "Tuning In" of Bruce Crawford. ...and among the folks who were caught by "That Sneaky Key Snatcher"? How about our own Bruce Crawford. Bruce talks about how his "attitude" was "tuned in" during his days as an installer with Bell Canada. "Say it ain't so Bruce!" (From the November, 1993 Singing Wires)

"Information Please" The voice of this genie-in-the-telephone receiver had an enduring message. A Readers Digest "First Person" Award by Paul Villard. Here's a story that will bring tears to the eyes of a potato! A Great Story! (Reprinted with permission from the June, 1966 Readers Digest.)

The First Lights of Christmas. Ever wonder who decided to replace the candles on the Christmas tree with electric lights? Leave it to a telephone man who had access to lots of switchboard lamps! (From Telephone Topics December, 1958 submitted by Norman Collins.)

Information Operators Get the Strangest Calls by Penny Owen. Well, it does say "information." (Reprinted with permission from The Daily Oklahoman)

I'm Taking Red by Paul McFadden. If the Super Bowl bores you, there's always "Checkers by Telephone." Or, How to Keep a Party Line Tied up For a Long, Long Time. (Adapted from the 1940 memoirs of Vida Jamison White)

Gamblers Use Automatic Phones It's funny how things never change. The same privacy issues that are being discussed about today's Internet were first considered when the automatic telephone exchange was being adopted. (From the April 2, 1904 Chicago American reprinted in the June, 1992 Singing Wires)

Cannon to Guard Store Let's say it's 1905 and you own a cheese store in Chicago. You made a deal with the Illinois Tunnel Company for their telephone subsidiary to place an exchange in your basement. You notice that your electric bill has gone up considerably. You also notice that they haven't paid an electric bill of their own. Now you've kicked them out and they want their phone back. (From the May 1992 Singing Wires)

Magnifico!! More memorable photographs.

Pennies Go Ding - Phone Won't Ring. In a child's eyes, the slots in a subscriber set would indicate that it must be some kind of a bank. It even rings when a deposit is made! Of course, when it's full, it ceases to announce those important telephone calls. (From the March, 1940 Bell Telephone News reprinted in the June 1992 Singing Wires)

Buy Sell Trade: Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line: A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. A report of a good time that was had by telephone collectors in the Chicago area.

November Highlights

This month Singing Wires recognizes Telephone Collectors International member Jerry Neal who was awarded a bronze medal from the Ameritech Theodore N. Vail Awards Committee.

The Vail Medal awards were created to recognize outstanding acts of service to the public by telephone company employees. Quoting Ameritech's Vision employee newsletter:

Being a hero was the last thing on Jerry Neal's mind on May 22, 1998, as he got his equipment from his truck for a routine installation order. He heard screams, turned and witnessed a purse snatching less than 75 feet away. Neal dropped his equipment belt, then chased the snatcher.

He and a group of other witnesses cornered and restrained the assailant until police arrived. After the snatcher was handcuffed, Neal comforted the victim, who had been knocked to the ground and was visibly shaken. He accompanied her to the police station, gave his statement and sat with the woman for more than two and one half hours.

"You never know how you're going to react in an emergencey situation," Neal said. "I believe every conscientious person hopes and prays he does the right thing when the time comes."

Congratulations, Jerry!

Art Shades and Color Harmonics by Paul McFadden. A Singing Wires classic from 1990. Paul presents a very useful and detailed description of the Automatic Electric colored telephone sets.

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. This month George reviews Telephone Communications Systems by Royce Gerald Kloeffler.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka. This feature deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch covers glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features candlestick notepad attachments.

Collectors vs. Dealers - Is There a Difference? By George Howard. Not all collectors are dealers. Not all dealers are collectors. Are they friends or rivals?

Bill Provencher's Northeast Show. Story and photographs by Barney Doyle. And I missed it!!!

"500 Series" Business Telephones by Bruce Crawford. Bruce presents an excellent overview of the development of the modern Key Telephone set.

It's a Dawg's Life by Paul McFadden. A visit with collector Dal Senter.

Buy Sell Trade: Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line: A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. See "The Naut-i-cal," another "one-of-a-kind" designer telephone by Laird B. Sonik.

October Highlights

The Western Electric Color Palette by Paul McFadden. A Singing Wires classic from 1990. Paul presents a very useful and detailed description of the different colors that Western Electric made their telephones.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka. This feature deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch covers glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features the "Rapidex" Hanging Index Attachment.

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. This month, however, George writes about where to buy telephone related books. Several dealers specialize in books dealing with technology.

A review of the 1999 Perth, Ontario show. With photographs by Barney Doyle.

The Cone Phone. In the spirit of Laird Sonik's breadboard telephone, Jim Barr writes about a telephone his third grade daughter made for a school project that involved an ice cream bowl and scoop. (Wow, telephones and food! Two of my favorite subjects.)

Economics, Law and Morality in the Buying and Selling of Antique Telephones. George Howard presents an interesting commentary on the dealings between antique telephone collectors.

eBay Watch. A few telephone items as seen on eBay.

The Schuh Box by Jack Schuh. Jack was a lineman who spent much of his career working in the Colorado's high mountain country. Jack put his memories on paper, claiming "they're mostly true." It originally appeared in Dial-Log, the newsletter of the Telecommunications History Group, Inc. of Denver, Colorado and was used with permission of Herb Hackenburg, editor.

The Arizona Whirlwind. Speaking of the Telecommunications History Group, when Herb Hackenburg needed a lot of historic material moved to Denver, Steve Hilsz came to the rescue. Read how Steve earned the title "Arizona Whirlwind."

Buy Sell Trade: Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line: A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. Antique Telephones as an investment? Jim Hurtle says that there are easier things to collect as "investments" but none as satisfying as antique telephones.

September Highlights

In memory of Ken King. Several members remember Ken King, a friend and role model for the telephone collectors' community.

A review of the 1999 Cincinnati area show. Paul McFadden reviews a show that keeps getting better and better! Lots of photographs too!

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka that deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch covers glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features the "window shade" rolldown telephone directory.

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. The selection for September is The Bell Telephone: The Deposition of Alexander Graham Bell In the Suit Brought by the United States.

Random Offerings. George Howard comments on the Cincinnati area show as well as antique telephones as investments.

eBay Watch. A few telephone items as seen on eBay.

How to Adapt Your Old LB Phone for Use With CB. Gerhard Fuchs describes a useful circuit arrangement that allows older Local Battery equipment to operate on a modern Common Battery telephone line.

With the Show Switchers. Keith Hlavacs reports on the Switcher's displays at the Cincinnati area show. Featured this year were an ITEC EMS-1, (Believe it or not, an electronic replacement/supplement for SxS equipment!) a Western Electric 1A Key system and a Western Electric 505C cordless switchboard.

Was Bell Canada a member of the Bell System? Bruce Crawford presents a reprint of an October 1966 "Blue Bell" article describing the unique relationship between The Bell Telephone Company of Canada and the Bell System.

Western Electric Service Pins. Jon Finder shows off a collection of service pins from one long-time Western Electric employee.

Buy Sell Trade: Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line: A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. Barry Erlandson models a hide-a-phone doll and Samuel Wills discovers his first rope-shaft candlestick.

August Highlights

For Noteworthy Public Service. Paul Wills introduces a new series of excerpts from the book For Noteworthy Public Service. This book is a collection of narratives of the heroic deeds done by the winners of the national Theodore Vail Medals between 1920 and 1950. The first two stories, in consideration of the ongoing heat wave that has been covering the USA, took place in a severe blizzard in the state of Wyoming in November of 1922. (Perhaps that heat wave won't look so bad!)

Working on Ericofons by Steve Hilsz. Helpful hints for those who want to restore the Ericofon by someone who has restored many.

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. The selection for August is The Telephone, The Microphone, & The Phonograph by Count DuMoncel.

The Attachment Corner... well, not this month. Mitch Soroka will return next month. This month, Sherry Hicks writes about the Speed-a-Call which is a roll-up directory device that attaches to the bottom of a round, oval or rectangular telephone set.

Jerry Williams puts in a plug for antique telephone shows. Ebay and the internet notwithstanding, there's still nothing like 'em!!! There's probably one near you. Check out the Upcoming Events page.

Stromberg-Carlson in Canada. Bruce Crawford describes Stromberg-Carlson's ventures in Canada and the interesting systems they outfitted.

Dial Idiosyncracies. Photographs of some unusual Western Electric dials from the collection of Larry Wolff.

Strange Things are Happening! Members share photographs of some of their more unusual finds.

A Short History of the Cook Strait Telecommunications Cables by Bob Newlands. This is the last of a two part article on the undersea cables connecting the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It is printed with the permission of the New Zealand Telecommunications Collectors Club.

A Nickel Won't Work! Ben Meyer shares his response to a question about coin phone operation as posed by a research department of CBS in New York.

Buy Sell Trade Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. Laird Sonik describes a telephone that's "Better Than Sliced Bread" and Wayne Merit presents a photograph of an unusual butt set.

July Highlights

This is not the quarterly GIANT issue, but at twenty pages it's still pretty impressive.

The Burbank Show. Paul McFadden and Jim Hurtle review the recent National Show in Burbank, California. There are lots of pictures too!

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. The selection for July is How to Read Telephone Circuit Diagrams by David S. Hulfish.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka that deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch plans to cover glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features the Jenkins Aseptifone.

A Short History of the Cook Strait Telecommunications Cables by Bob Newlands. This is the first of a two part article on the undersea cables connecting the North and South Islands of New Zealand. It is printed with the permission of the New Zealand Telecommunications Collectors Club.

A/E Reinvents the Dial? - Revisited. Bruce Crawford comments on the interesting Automatic Electric desk stand featured in last month's Singing Wires. Check out the pictures at previous highlights.

Troubleshooting the Type 43 Space Saver. by Steve Hilsz. Everything you need to know about wiring and troubleshooting this unique AE telephone.

Buy Sell Trade Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. This month Laird Sonik brings Mickey back to life.

June Highlights

It's the quarterly GIANT issue! Twenty Four Pages.

A Few Observations by George Howard. George was one of the founders of Telephone Collectors International. Telephone collecting is changing dramatically with the Internet. The proliferation of chat rooms, web sites, on line auctions is changing the world of telephone collecting forever. What is the future of the collectors associations? George has coupled some profound thoughts with a delightful autobiography.

Good Luck George! Editor, Paul McFadden follows George's commentary with his own view of the role of the newsletter.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka that deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch plans to cover glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column is the last on glass mouthpieces. It features "The Commercial Appliance Co. Germless," "Hy-G-Phone," and an odd unmarked one.

The Ericofon by Charlie Pleasance. Charlie writes about this L. M. Ericsson product as it was introduced to this hemisphere by North Electric. He outlines the engineering and marketing problems that the Ericofon presented. Charlie is a faithful spokesman for the independent telephone industry and is the author of the book The Spirit of Independent Telephony.

Who is Bruce Crawford? Paul Axman is the writer of this delightful tribute to telephone collector, switcher and writer Bruce Crawford. Bruce is the founder of Switchers Quarterly.

The Stromberg-Carlson #1243 by Steve Hilsz. Unlocking the Mystery of the "Black Box." I never knew what was in the darned thing. Steve "lifts the veil" and even gives some valuable troubleshooting hints.

Sorting Out Those Darn Repro Dial Sticks. Editor Paul McFadden presents a detailed comparison between the Western Electric dial candlestick telephone and the many reproductions on the market. This article, liberally illustrated, may just keep the reader from being "had."

Antique Telephone Exchange If you want to see a really extensive working telephone network, take a look at the "official" directory of Bill Wright's exchange!

A N. O. S. Wow! Mark Peterson shares some photographs of a recent "haul" of New Old Stock parts he acquired. It's still out there, folks! If only we knew where it was!

Small Things Great Talent by Bob Baxter. You have to see these to believe them. A working copy of an AE dial the size of a quarter? Walter Reading Jones, when he retired in 1955, was the second oldest surviving Telephone Pioneer in British Columbia, Canada. When he died in 1991, he was 100 years, two months and two weeks old. Bob's article features an amazing collection of miniature telephones and telephone components that were crafted by Mr. Jones.

Buy Sell Trade Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. This month, Paul Wills writes up the recent regional show in Essex, MD and Laird Sonik describes one of the strangest homemade telephones ever built. (A hint: you have to feel a little flushed after you use it!)

May Highlights

Is All Fair in Love and War? by Marshall Reber. Thoughts about the Telephone Collector's community... and a call for human decency.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka that deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch plans to cover glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features "The Flint Sanitary Mouthpiece."

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. This month's selection is Telephone Instruments: Their Operation, Arrangement and Management by W. H. Radcliffe.

Gary Goff's Flange Sign Display Method: Do you have a bunch of flange mounted telephone signs to display but can't stand the thought of filling your walls with holes? Gary figured it out!

The #685A Subscriber Set by Bruce Crawford. Everything that you need to know about hooking one up.

The Type 40 Monophone - Portability Plus: Automatic Electric designed their Type 40 Monophone with finger grips to allow "easy, natural lifting and moving." Editor Paul McFadden decided to try out each method of carrying the telephone as illustrated in the AE sales brochure. What he discovered is that there is more than one way to drop a phone. (These tests were simulated - no actual Type 40's were injured or killed.)

Make a Common Candlestick Telephone into an Attractive Lamp! This month, Paul McFadden tells the reader how to turn a perfectly good candlestick telephone into a lamp. He can't be serious?..... can he? Warning! The subject matter of this article may be offensive and distressing to telephone collectors!

People's Voice Wanes With Pay Phones' Decline This article by Bill Granger was reprinted with permission from the Paddock Publications Daily Herald. The writer asks, "What would Humphrey Bogart or Jimmy Cagney do now if they had to drop a dime on someone?" Cell phones may be useful but they don't have the romance of the public pay phone.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka that deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch plans to cover glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features the "American Electric" germproof glass mouthpiece.

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. This month's selection is Electricity and Magnetism by Elisha Gray.

Paul McFadden reviews a new book, The Phone Book by the award winning children's author, Elizabeth Macleod.

Northwest Phone Show Dedicated to Memory of Inspirational Collector. Kevin Karcher reports on the recent Northwest Vintage Phone Show in Bremerton, Washington. This 1999 show was dedicated to the memory of collector Jim Streutker, 1922-1998. We will all miss him!

New Old Stock! The words that bring a thrill to any collector. Paul McFadden reflects on his NOS finds.

The 2B Regrettor is featured but if you're reading this, you can see it for yourself right here!

Meet the TCI Board of Director Candidates. A fine group of people, indeed! Members are encouraged to get their ballot cards in. Non-members are cordially invited to become members!

Meet an Extraordinary New Member. Remember Life is Better? This article, reprinted in the January Singing Wires, was an interesting account of the heroic deeds of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company employees in Christensen, Wyoming during a severe blizzard that took place during the week of January 2, 1949. Meet one of the actual employees in the story... and he just joined Telephone Collectors International!

What Comes Around, Goes Around (Eventually). Bruce Crawford writes about the telephone industry in Canada. You can't tell the players without a program!

Buy Sell Trade Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Party Line A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback. Our quotable quote this month is from Steve Schack: Here's the definition I always give my wife (depends on whose "stuff" we are talking about, mine or hers):

Junk: "Stuff" To Throw Away

Stuff: "Junk" to keep

March Highlights

This is a quarterly BIG issue in three sections!

Section One:

On Defining "Retro:" The word seems to come up pretty often now but what, specifically, does it mean? Is a Williams Coffin Retro? How 'bout an old girlfriend? Editor Paul McFadden investigates.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch plans to cover glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features the "Maxim Antiseptic Telephone Mouthpiece."

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. The selection for March is Edison and His Inventions by J. B. McClure.

Re-Wiring Tips, by Carl Lapekas, presents some useful tips about re-using the original cords when restoring an antique telephone.

Anti-Side-Tone Circuit in Austrian Telephones: In this article, Gerhard Fuchs describes the Anti-Side-Tone circuits as found in Austrian telephones.

Candy taken from Baby: Paul McFadden tells a sad story about a potentially wonderful find he made at an antique shop. Unfortunately, Paul didn't know about the underage kids who "acquired" the telephones in the first place. What do they say about things that are too good to be true?

50 Years Old, And Still Going Strong: Bruce Crawford notes that 1999 is the 50th anniversary of the world's most popular telephone, the 500 set. It has quite a history! It's this month's featured article.

Wait a minute! That's all I remember using as a kid. Don't tell me that I'm Retro!!!

"The Day Bell System Died:" A reprint of a satirical work that originally appeared in the Telecom Digest in 1983.

The System that Wouldn't Die: One legacy of Ma Bell that is still with us: The 1A2 Key Telephone System. Bruce Lane continues his definitive series on this interesting equipment.

Maitland, Florida: John Novack introduces the Maitland Historical Society's Telephone Museum.

How to Utilize Mouthpiece with Worn Threads: This article, by Frank L. Whitaker, was reprinted from the April 2, 1910 Telephony magazine. It describes a method of expanding the threaded portion of a mouthpiece to allow for continued use.

Party Line A monthly summary of current events, members' news and members' feedback.

Turning a Deaf Ear on Progress: An Oklahoma Telephone Tale A humorous story about how not to test a telephone line. From the book Good Connections: The story of the men and women of Southwestern Bell.

Section Two:

Ring in the Values: Old Phones are Major Collectibles by Richard Chang. This article, reprinted from Reuters, presents an "outside" view of telephone collecting.

Buy Sell Trade Of course! Members can advertise for free!

Section Three:

History and Telephones of Stromberg-Carlson A Singing Wires Pictorial Review.

February Highlights

Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time. In 1970, Steve Hilsz teamed up with a fellow named Irv Kepner who had a little shop in Burlingame, CA called "Martha's Village Store." They built up an early business in antique telephones with a branch that they called "The Village Telephone Company." Out of that beginning came the "Village Telephone Supply Company" and later "VTS Industrial Company" of Salome, AZ. Throughout its almost 30 year history VTS Industrial Company has been a leading supplier of reproduction parts for the restoration of antique telephones. In this article, Steve tells his story.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado - A Fine Ski Town ...but a horrible place to try to maintain a fleet of telephone company trucks in the dead of Winter. This story is taken from manuscripts written by Jack Schuh, a retired outside plant foreman who worked out of the Boulder, CO district. This is a funny story! It originally appeared in the Spring 1997 issue of Dial-Log, the newsletter of the Telecommunications History Group , Inc. of Denver, Colorado and was used with permission of Herb Hackenburg, editor.

The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch plans to cover glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features the "Red Cross Germ Proof Glass Mouthpiece."

"We Don't Know Either" It even stumped Editor Paul McFadden but very little gets by Bruce Crawford. Bruce explains the mystery of this unusual Automatic Electric Telephone that appears in Paul's book Not Quite Everything Known about Collecting Vintage Telephones.

Connecting an Automatic Electric type 1A Monophone (Or a type 21 Candlestick) to a "Bell System" 684 type Subset. Bruce Crawford follows up Jim Hurtle's article from last month on the details of the AE type 21 Monophone. What? You don't have any Automatic Electric bell boxes? There is hope!

Thirty Something Paul McTigue tells of his 30 years in the telephone industry.

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. The selection for February is the fourth edition of American Telephone Practice by Kempster B. Miller.

January Highlights

Where's my Newspaper? Each month, editor Paul McFadden reflects on the problems and pitfalls of telephone collecting (or attempted telephone collecting as the case may be). With 20+ inches of snow in the Chicago area over New Years weekend, there wasn't much opportunity for him to get out but he did come up with some interesting ideas about how to sell an unwilling spouse on the benefits of shelling out for that rare telephone. (hint: There are much more dangerous places to put your money!)

Life is Better is an interesting account of the heroic deeds of the Mountain States Telephone and Telegraph Company employees in Christensen, Wyoming during a severe blizzard that took place during the week of January 2, 1949. This story originally appeared in the Spring 1998 issue of Dial-Log, the newsletter of the Telecommunications History Group , Inc. of Denver, Colorado and was used with permission of Herb Hackenburg, editor. Herb's comment on the story is appropriate; "Over the years, these life-saving incidents and hundreds of others, never appeared on anyone's telephone bill."

The Attachment Corner is a new column by Mitch Soroka that deals with all of the devices that one can attach to a telephone. Mitch plans to cover glass, porcelain and colored bakelite mouthpieces, Hush-a-phone, Mute-a-phone, indexes, notepads, pencil holders, celluloid transmitter and mouthpiece covers, antiseptic devices, locking devices, etc. This month's column features the "Whisper-It" glass mouthpiece.

The Book Shelf is a regular column by George W. Howard. From the very invention of the telephone, scores of books have been written about telephone technology, business and history. Each month, George reviews an historic book from telephony's past. The selection for January is American Telephone Practice by Kempster B. Miller.

The Sterling GrabaPhone Paul McFadden describes his encounter with this interesting telephone set.

The Obscure Automatic Electric Anti-Sidetone Subset Circuit Jim Hurtle, TCI Secretary, prepared an article that will be of great interest to anyone who has ever had to wire an Automatic Electric 1A Monophone.

When, "It's a 302!" Isn't "When it walks like a duck..." Regular contributer and Switchers Quarterly editor, Bruce Crawford explains that it isn't necessarily a duck! The 250AW telephone set was designed to provide a "cradle" type telephone set to replace the upright "candlestick" or 202 type telephone sets at existing subset equipped locations. The 250AW looks like a 302 but removing the cover will reveal some interesting differences.

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