Telstar Rare Western Electric Vintage Touch - Tone Telephone Near
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:4509834 | Brand: Western Electric Telstar |
| Modified Item: No | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
Read my excellent feedback for similar phones. ***The BEST thing about landline (copper-based phones) is that when the power to your city, block, or street is cut off, landline phones are PHONE COMPANY POWERED and will therefore work in the event of any scale blackout; if it's a problem that affects the phone company's emergency generators (which have reserve fuel to run for a few days to a few weeks, depending on where you live), making phone calls will be the least of your conce...rns! Investing in a landline phone may seem redundant, so it really depends on what price YOU put on your safety and that of your family; besides, the more landline calls you make, the less internet bandwidth you are taking up.***
This is a rare "Telstar" phone, part of Western Electric's Design Line series; this particular phone was commissioned to celebrate the launch of the Bell System's first telecommunications satellite. It is in excellent shape, although it's missing the lucite cylinder which allowed you to open and close access to the phone. Even without the cylinder, the phone works perfectly and makes a beautiful and distinctive piece of design history.I worked as an engineer for AT&T until just after the millennium, and I checked the wiring, adjusted and tuned the touch-tone dial and adjusted the ringer as well as polished the metal and plastic parts of this phone. All the inside electronic and mechanical parts right down to the keypad are genuine Bell System. The self-retracting handset cord looks and works perfectly--no kinks or bends in the cord like you might find on less well taken-care of phones. I cannot legally list this as new, but it is as close as you are going to get. They don't make them to these standards anymore; guaranteed to last*.
The sound quality of this phone is excellent, as you would expect from Western Electric and Bell Labs, sound pioneers since the beginning of the last century. Combined with parts designed to last multiple lifetimes, you can't find this quality anymore. I tested all functions, and it passed with flying colors; pleasant-sounding, NON-ELECTRONIC, adjustable volume bell ringer and unique self-retracting handset cord. This phone is CLEAN and SHINY! The only cosmetic work I did was to polish the plastics with Novus #2. Warranty: The components of these units were built by Western Electric for indefinite service lifetimes to standards no longer found in consumer electronics. If your telephone should become inoperable for any reason other than obvious gross neglect (eg., cutting cords, dropping from height, etc.). I will fix it for free for the lifetime of the original purchaser (or mine!), minus shipping (and postal insurance fees, where applicable). This is a recreational endeavor and I have no desire to hang on to these or to turn this into a business. For this reason I have taken as comprehensive and detailed photographs as possible (Note: I will be happy to furnish close-ups of any view you'd like.) and I am accepting no returns due to buyer's remorse, although I do honor eBay's return policy. Includes modular line cord. Thank you for your time!
This is a rare "Telstar" phone, part of Western Electric's Design Line series; this particular phone was commissioned to celebrate the launch of the Bell System's first telecommunications satellite. It is in excellent shape, although it's missing the lucite cylinder which allowed you to open and close access to the phone. Even without the cylinder, the phone works perfectly and makes a beautiful and distinctive piece of design history.I worked as an engineer for AT&T until just after the millennium, and I checked the wiring, adjusted and tuned the touch-tone dial and adjusted the ringer as well as polished the metal and plastic parts of this phone. All the inside electronic and mechanical parts right down to the keypad are genuine Bell System. The self-retracting handset cord looks and works perfectly--no kinks or bends in the cord like you might find on less well taken-care of phones. I cannot legally list this as new, but it is as close as you are going to get. They don't make them to these standards anymore; guaranteed to last*.
The sound quality of this phone is excellent, as you would expect from Western Electric and Bell Labs, sound pioneers since the beginning of the last century. Combined with parts designed to last multiple lifetimes, you can't find this quality anymore. I tested all functions, and it passed with flying colors; pleasant-sounding, NON-ELECTRONIC, adjustable volume bell ringer and unique self-retracting handset cord. This phone is CLEAN and SHINY! The only cosmetic work I did was to polish the plastics with Novus #2. Warranty: The components of these units were built by Western Electric for indefinite service lifetimes to standards no longer found in consumer electronics. If your telephone should become inoperable for any reason other than obvious gross neglect (eg., cutting cords, dropping from height, etc.). I will fix it for free for the lifetime of the original purchaser (or mine!), minus shipping (and postal insurance fees, where applicable). This is a recreational endeavor and I have no desire to hang on to these or to turn this into a business. For this reason I have taken as comprehensive and detailed photographs as possible (Note: I will be happy to furnish close-ups of any view you'd like.) and I am accepting no returns due to buyer's remorse, although I do honor eBay's return policy. Includes modular line cord. Thank you for your time!
