Old Pay phone question

[loman4ec]

I am wanting to buy an old pay phone. I have a lot of memories of my dad restoring payphones when I was younger. First What do they usually go for. I would prefer chrome or black. I found one on Craigslist that is odd. It says it has been converted to keypad dial. He wants $150 for it? Can it be converted back? Is it maybe original but just newer or maybe a repop? What do you all think?

[davethebirdman]

My knowledge of pay phones is very weak...

However, I would say that you could do a lot better than that just looking on Ebay..

I bought mine back with me four years ago and if I remember paid $150.00 or thereabouts.
Chrome was excellent and was all original...

Dave

[Sodak Bob]

I gave about $200 for my western electric three slot payphone - in very nice condition.  That looks pretty rough to me...

[BrianB]

Josh,

The phone that you have pictured is either a Western Electric or Automatic Electric. Basically the top housing has been switched out to make it into a touch-tone telephone as was noted when the mentioned it was converted.

I'm not sure, but the circuit board mounted on the backboard inside of the top housing might be different.

Yes it can be converted back. You will probably spend around $50-$75 for a complete upper housing with dial group, lock and key and coin entry.

I would personally find one on Ebay or wait until you can find a complete 3-slot payphone for under $200 that is complete for the most part.

I got my complete Automatic Electric 3-Slot from a yard sale for $100 about 2 years ago.

Unless you can get this guy under $100!! 

[Kilroy]

I agree, wait and watch Ebay for a 3 coin that hasn't neen messed with. I've been watching them, going for around 200 these days.
And hey, I have a booth when you are ready 

[loman4ec]

good opinions. I really want a black one anyway. I like chrome but I just want a black one. I think it can fit in my suitcase and I may bring it to Singapore with me. after all the phone system is the same. So I will either need to find one already converted or buy an old rotary phone as well and convert it here. It would be fun to have on the wall next to my desk. Our business is growing so fast. We are now moving into a proper office with a conference room, showroom, storage area with the ability to hold shipping containers and tons of office space. Our little company has gone from nothing to something in only 4 years! I am so happy. I hope to put my Victor vendorama, Ford 1 cent M&M machine and an old payphone. We import a lot of products from the USA. One of these days I am going to have a V81 added into the container. I wish.

[vendo39]

I picked up an Automatic Electric three weeks ago for $75 at a swap meet. The few things I know about old rotary payphones:

Depending on your service provider, the rotary phone may or may not work without modifications (real insightful, huh? ).  The point is it may work as is so try it.  At the very least, you should be able to receive incoming calls as is.  Usually if you are wiring this up you would hook the red wire to the ring terminal and the green to the tip terminal.

If you are looking at a phone in person such as at a swap meet or a garage sale (as opposed to eBay), you can usually tell if the phone works by touching the wires to a nine volt battery.  You should at a minimum be able to here a clicking noise as you touch the wires to the battery.

There are usually two locks on most pay phones.  The upper lock will allow access to the actual phone electronics and the lower lock will allow access to the coin box. Drilling out the lock on most of these older payphones does absolutely nothing but destroy the tumblers.  Even with the center of the lock gone, you probably still can not open the phone up.  Fortunately, the upper part of the phone is usually a standard key and available for about $10 -$20.  The key for the coin box is unique.  Many times you will find a phone with coin box door missing or without a lock due to this reason.

Good luck on finding a phone you like.

[Cokemachinesandmore]

hi try this site, has phones, parts and will assist you with questions. www.phonecoinc.com

[audiobeer]

hi try this site, has phones, parts and will assist you with questions. www.phonecoinc.com

These folks are great. He has about 200 + trailers of parts and is very honest. His wife runs it and they are in thier late 70s, so they won't get back with you right away. But they won't steer you wrong.

[loman4ec]

I'd like to have a phone but not at his prices. I will keep my eyes open. It would be cool to have on the wall next to my desk at work.

[Ken Layton]

Starting around 1969, both the Western Electric and GTE three slot payphones were also available brand new as dedicated touchtone models.

[BrianB]

In regards to the vault door lock (bottom lock - chrome door) Most of those keys are the same depending on the manufactuer. I know this is true at least for Automatic Electric.

I ordered my key from Phonecoinc.com. They were great to deal with.

Josh,

If you find a cheap one, re-painting is always an option. Especially if you find a really banged up one in it's original color. That's what I did and I repainted mine black.

[bcharlton]

I found 2 phones from the same "phone guy" fopr arounf $200 apiece.  They both work.  I alos found a "ringer" from under the seat of an old phone booth.  These phones do not have a ringer inside them.  It works very well and I can now here the phones ring when I am in my malt shop.  Get a phone that has not been "messed with".

BrianC

[Ken Layton]

Here's how to build your own 3 slot payphone controller:

http://atcaonline.com/controller.html

This will make that old 3 slot work like it was originally intended: on coins!

[SIGNGUY]

Boy.. that looks simple...

[BrianB]

LOL! 

Yeah, if you're not an electronics type, that stuff can be pretty challenging. Just protoyping the board can be a pain. Looks like he either knows somebody that make bare boards w/traces for him or he spent some cash having them made. The individual components are really cheap and easy to install.