Do you have a phone for sale?
Common candlesticks are generally valued in the $50-200 range, but the rarest candlesticks can be worth thousands of dollars. I am always searching for rare candlesticks. If you have one you would consider selling (or trading), please send me a photo and I will respond as quickly as possible. All transactions will be held in the strictest of confidence.
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Common candlesticks are generally valued in the $50-200 range, but the rarest candlesticks can be worth thousands of dollars. I am always searching for rare candlesticks. If you have one you would consider selling (or trading), please send me a photo and I will respond as quickly as possible. All transactions will be held in the strictest of confidence.
[contact]
Welcome to OldTelephones.com. If you landed on this site you must have some level of interest in old telephones. Many collectors of old telephones were long time employees of phone companies while others simply enjoy the hobby of collecting, trading and the pursuit of hidden treasure.
For me, the telephone represents one of the greatest inventions in human history. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, the same year General George Custer had his famous last stand at the Little Bighorn (he could have used a cell phone). Bell's invention of the telephone and the transmission of speech led to the invention of radio, television and ultimately the Internet. Today the telephone device is arguably the most important technology in our lives because it keeps us all connected by voice, text, video, music and the Internet. Future telephones will be wireless mobile devices that include everything necessary to connect you globally, monitor your habits and your whereabouts while providing almost any information and function imaginable with the push of a button. How important was the invention of the telephone? Our children and their children wouldn't last a day without it.
The first consumer telephones were heavy wooden wall mounted hand cranked telephones. In 1892 Bell introduced the first upright desk telephone called "desk stand" or "candlestick" telephone. In 1894, Bell's original telephone patent expired and independent telephone companies quickly emerged introducing many versions of the upright desk telephone. There were several thousand independent telephone companies by the early 1900s, but consolidation (and failure) resulted in a short life span for most of them. As a result, only limited documentation exists on many of the early telephone companies and the phones they manufactured. In 1926 Western Electric introduced the first desk phone, or cradle phone, complete with a dial, bringing an end to the candlestick era. The reason I mention this is because the lifespan of the candlestick, 1892-1926 reflected one of the greatest periods of competition and innovation in the wonderful life of the telephone, and that is why my passion, and this website, are dedicated to the candlestick telephone.
To put this into historical context, consider this. Ellis Island opened its doors in New York in 1892 and closed down in 1926. During the very same window in history as the candlestick telephone, over 12 million immigrants entered the U.S.. What a special period in our country's history.
I hope you enjoy the photographs of the phones in this collection. You may be surprised at how many unique and beautiful candlestick telephones there were during that 35 year stretch from 1892-1926. I am always on the lookout for unique candlesticks to add to this collection and would welcome your feedback, and if you have a unique candlestick that you would consider selling or trading, please contact me! Thank you for spending some time viewing this site, I hope you'll visit often.
For me, the telephone represents one of the greatest inventions in human history. Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876, the same year General George Custer had his famous last stand at the Little Bighorn (he could have used a cell phone). Bell's invention of the telephone and the transmission of speech led to the invention of radio, television and ultimately the Internet. Today the telephone device is arguably the most important technology in our lives because it keeps us all connected by voice, text, video, music and the Internet. Future telephones will be wireless mobile devices that include everything necessary to connect you globally, monitor your habits and your whereabouts while providing almost any information and function imaginable with the push of a button. How important was the invention of the telephone? Our children and their children wouldn't last a day without it.
The first consumer telephones were heavy wooden wall mounted hand cranked telephones. In 1892 Bell introduced the first upright desk telephone called "desk stand" or "candlestick" telephone. In 1894, Bell's original telephone patent expired and independent telephone companies quickly emerged introducing many versions of the upright desk telephone. There were several thousand independent telephone companies by the early 1900s, but consolidation (and failure) resulted in a short life span for most of them. As a result, only limited documentation exists on many of the early telephone companies and the phones they manufactured. In 1926 Western Electric introduced the first desk phone, or cradle phone, complete with a dial, bringing an end to the candlestick era. The reason I mention this is because the lifespan of the candlestick, 1892-1926 reflected one of the greatest periods of competition and innovation in the wonderful life of the telephone, and that is why my passion, and this website, are dedicated to the candlestick telephone.
To put this into historical context, consider this. Ellis Island opened its doors in New York in 1892 and closed down in 1926. During the very same window in history as the candlestick telephone, over 12 million immigrants entered the U.S.. What a special period in our country's history.
I hope you enjoy the photographs of the phones in this collection. You may be surprised at how many unique and beautiful candlestick telephones there were during that 35 year stretch from 1892-1926. I am always on the lookout for unique candlesticks to add to this collection and would welcome your feedback, and if you have a unique candlestick that you would consider selling or trading, please contact me! Thank you for spending some time viewing this site, I hope you'll visit often.
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