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Western Electric 440EA
A Western Electric 440EA telephone set
We recently acquired two Western Electric 440EA telephone sets. They were NOS (New Old Stock) but very dirty.
The pictures show one of them, the before and after result. It still needs a proper dial card and designation strip but I think it looks much better now that it has been thoroughly cleaned.
The 440-type telephone sets are 4-button key sets arranged for one hold (nonlocking) and three pickup (locking). They can only be used with a 1A key system.
Happy Birthday, Trimline!
Happy Birthday, Trimline! ??? Guess you just missed it too? According to Events in Telephone History by AT&T, August 2 1965, was when “Michigan Bell became the first company to sell Trimline phones on a companywide basis.”
Interested in reading more about the Trimline? Check out the upcoming August 2015 issue of the Telephone Collectors International publication Singing Wires Journal. It contains an article “From Butt Set to Beauty” The Trimline is 50 Years Old by Paul Fassbender.
The JKL Museum of Telephony collection contains many antique telephones and a few not so antique. There are several telephones in the JKL Museum collection that are related to the Trimline development.
You can check them out on our site in the virtual exhibit “Pre—production models, prototype, display telephones, and related objects.”
Look for the Demitasse, Schmoo, Contour, Trimline I, a golden Trimline and others.
You are also welcome to come and see them for yourselves at our telephone museum. Check out our homepage or use the contact option in the menu bar to get in touch.
Also don’t forget to check out the Trimline page at Paul Fassbender’s site
507B Cordless PBX switchboard paperweight
We added a cute item to our collection, a 507B cordless switchboard paperweight.
On the bottom of the 507B Cordless PBX switchboard paperweight it reads:
“The 507B cordless PBX switchboard is a single position , self-contained unit having a handling capacity of 5 central office trunks and 12 station lines.
This switchboard is used by a receptionist in a small business office. The design of this streamlined model is in keeping with the modern trend of compact office equipment.
Memento of your visit to WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY, Inc. Kearny Works”