Old Phones Ring Up Big Bucks

Old Phones Ring Up Big Bucks AG WORLD Most of us can’t imagine life without cell phones but there are many collectors who value the history and development of conventional telephones You might have one stashed away that could net you some extra change “The oldest I have is a matched pair of 1878 telephones commonly referred to as ‘Coffins’ due to their similarity to a real coffin They were made by Charles Williams Jr in Boston for Bell Telephone Co – the same location where Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876 They were found in a suitcase under the floor of a barn ” says collector Tom Adams The barn owners discovered the phones when they tore down the barn In today’s market they are valued at about $12 500 each At a recent auction in Cologne Germany one of the first American phones an 1876 National Bell Telephone Co wall phone sold for just under $40 000 “I thought that one was a little high but in Philadelphia at an auction there was a similar phone by Watts Co that sold for $33 000 ” Adams notes He has a similar model from 1879 in his collection Adams’ collection started harmlessly when he went looking for an old oak wall phone to display in his home An antique store owner offered him 10 old disassembled phone cases and a box full of parts for $200 Unfortunately there weren’t enough parts to finish even one phone and in his search to find parts Adams was introduced to an Alabama game warden’s collection “He had a beautiful display and that lit the fire ” Adams says “That was 40 years ago ” Now he serves on the board of the Antique Telephone Collectors Association ATCA 1 000 members and is a member of Telephone Collectors International 500 members He has 1 500 sq ft of space in his home dedicated to his telephones and other collections Adams focuses on early models prior to 1910 – mostly phones made for Bell Telephone As indicated by past auctions the oldest phones can be valued in the tens of thousands of dollars range depending on age condition rarity – and of course how much someone is willing to pay for it But other phones have good value too Adams notes “The latest trend has been the more modern phone from the 30’s and 40’s in colors like Peking Red and Dark Blue ” he explains Collectors remember them from their childhood and pay as much as $4 000 to $5 000 Old pay phones sell in the $3 000 to $4 000 range Candlestick phones – desk models with interesting potbelly fluted and ornate bodies made in the late 1800’s – are also very valuable sometimes in the $2 000 to $30 000 range The crank-type wall phones most folks are familiar with are much more common and have gone down in value from 30 years ago One in good condition sells for about $150 Adams says He noted that when he was younger he found some of his best phones by stopping in at farms and that there are likely many treasures yet to be discovered He offers a few tips for people who have telephones they would like to sell “Keep them as original as you can ” he says explaining that having them re-nickled and putting on new parts devalues them Listing them on eBay is a good way to sell them he adds Craigslist is often a good option for local sales People can also contact the ATCA atcaonline com which lists phones for collectors There are a few reference guides about collectable phones such as “Telephones: Antique to Modern” by Kate Dooner which focuses mostly on U S phones It’s possible a phone you have is something a collector is searching for “For me it’s a Tap Bell phone made in 1878 and 1879 by Charles Williams Jr ” Adams says He saw a couple on eBay but his bids fell short of taking it home One went for a hefty $23 000 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Tom Adams ph 919 761-8784; http://home roadrunner com/~tom adams1

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.