TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: What's This Telephone Related Item?

What's This Telephone Related Item?

Jim Stewart (jstewart@jkmicro.com)
Mon, 21 Aug 2006 13:00:08 -0700

http://www.grumpyoldgeek.com/PhoneSlug/PhoneSlug.htm

I was cleaning out a desk drawer last night and ran across this item.
It's about .007" wider and thicker than a US quarter. I can't
remember where I got it, but the Princess phone on the back leads me
to believe it's payphone related.

Anyone want it for their collection (Patrick has first right of refusal)?

[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: A long time ago, pay telephones did not
accept money as such; they were operated with 'telephone slugs'; at
least the ones in Chicago were. I know if you wanted to use the pay
phone at Walgreens for example, Walgreens sold the slugs for five
cents each; Illinois Bell redeemed the slugs for four cents each,
which is how the merchant made his commission on pay phones in the
1920's. You bought one or more slugs, depending on your needs, and
used them in the pay phones. When the collector came around each week
or two, he would open the box, dump out the slugs and resell them to
the Walgreens clerk at the discounted rate. Since that time (in the
1920's) there have been other occassions where merchants sold slugs
for the payphones and telco redeemed them to the merchants. Since you
say your example has a 'Princess phone' stamped on it and since it is
approximatly the size of a 25-cent coin, my hunch is it may have been
used for the phones at one of the world's fair's such as New York back
in the 1970's. If you are offering to give it away, yes, I will take
it. PAT]

Post Followup Article Use your browser's quoting feature to quote article into reply
Go to Next message: earle robinson: "P.S. on Dial Conversion in the Depression"
Go to Previous message: USTelecom dailyLead: "Verizon Considers News Channel For Long Island"
Next in thread: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: What's This Telephone Related Item?"
May be reply: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: What's This Telephone Related Item?"
May be reply: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: What's This Telephone Related Item?"
May be reply: Mr Joseph Singer: "Re: What's This Telephone Related Item?"
May be reply: Wesrock@aol.com: "Re: What's This Telephone Related Item?"
May be reply: hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com: "Re: What's This Telephone Related Item?"
TELECOM Digest: Home Page