Vintage Rotary Dial Phones Telephones: Blast from the Past

If you are a vintage, mid century, retro, buff collector, you may already have a vintage rotary-dial desk or wall phone, or two, in your home. If you are a mid century modern collector and do not have a vintage rotary-dial phone, you might want to consider how a vintage phone would affect the ambiance of your retro home.

Vintage Rotary Dial Phones Telephones: Brief History of the Telephone

It may seem to you that the history of the telephone is simple; the telephone was invented by Alexander Graham Bell; as you were taught in school. The fact of the matter is that the history of the telephone is much more complex and if you talk about it with a telephone historian or self-appointed telephone expert, you will learn who invented the first telephone is up for debate. Although, Mr. Bell is the most often noted inventor of the telephone, others who claim the title include: Antonio Meucci, Philip Reis and Elisha Gray.

Wikipedia, describes a vintage rotary-dial as a device on a phone that sends electrical signals that align or correspond with the number dialed. In 1904, the modern version of the rotary-dial was introduced. It took 15 years for the Bell System to begin to use the concept in their service. It may be surprising to know that the device began being phased out in the 1940s and forward. In actuality, the rotary-dial device was made up until 2006. Phones, using the Touch Tone dialing technology, started to become prevalent and popular. There are some telephone systems in the US that cannot recognize rotary-dialing and will only support push button dialing. In some places of the US, you have to order rotary-dial as a special feature. The truth of the matter is that most telephone systems do accept rotary-dial phones without having to purchase a special service.

Vintage Rotary Dial Phones Telephones: Manufacturers

Western Bell, one of the leading producers of rotary-dial telephones, made the model 500 telephone series which was the standard basic desk phone. Absolutely millions of this rotary-dial phone were distributed by the Bell System starting in 1949 and continuing through 1964. This is the heavy duty black phone with a black-painted metal finger-wheel that was in almost everyone's home.

By the 1950's the 500 series rotary -ial phone was being made by ITT Kellogg which was discontinued in 2007. Nothern Electric, of Canada (to become Northern Telecom) also manufactured rotary-dial phones. Stromberg-Carlson (part of Siemens today), also made rotary-dial phones from the 1950s to 1980s.

Vintage Rotary Dial Phones Telephones: Styles

In the late 1950s, the Princess vintage rotary-dial phone was introduced. This vintage phone was much smaller and lighter and the lighted dial made it a good bedside phone. The first vintage Princess, model 701, rotary-dial phone did not have an internal ringer. Later, the Princess 702 model was produced with an internal ringer.

Another new, hip version of the vintage rotary-dial phone was the Trimline, model 220, which was produced in 1965. The Trimline was the last standard vintage rotary-dial phone to be manufactured by Western Electric. The desk phone was not to be the only rotary-dial design to be had. Western Electric manufactured several wall-mounted rotary-dial models such as the 653, 354 and 554.

Vintage Rotary Dial Phones Telephones: Colors

Black was the original color for vintage rotary-dial phones. Beige was an early color manufactured that took the rotary dial phone into a new era. Eventually vintage rotary-dial phones were produced in red, orange, gold, turquoise, sea foam green, olive green, harvest gold, pink and more.

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