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| In
the past, when phones were owned by the phone companies, huge numbers
of phones were often replaced within a short period of time when a
major change was made to the central office switching system or when a
new line of phones was introduced. For
example, when magneto exchanges were replaced with common battery
exchanges, all the old magneto (crank) telephones had to be replaced. Many sets ended up in landfills or scrap yards, but many were recycled in other forms. Lamps were among the most popular. Some were made by Bell System employees to be used as retirement gifts or in commemoration of an event. Others were modified and sold by Junior Achievement groups. Publications such as Popular Mechanix published do-it-yourself articles on how to make phone lamps. Lamps were made by professional lamp makers and by amateur tinkerers. In most cases, the phones were considered worthless as phones, but had some value as decorative and useful items. They were usually damaged in some way to incorporate the lamp components. Drilling large holes through the handset and phone housing were common. Phone collectors are continually amazed at the creativity and effort that went into some of the conversions. We also look for lamps made from what are now considered collectible phones and hope to find some that can be converted back to phones or provide scarce parts for phone restorations. This page contains photos that were harvested from auction sites and contributed by site visitors, and are presented with minimal comment. Enjoy. |
