Telephones were first invented in 1876, and from that very moment, the design of telephones has been significantly changing throughout the years. 

In the modern antique market, the earlier telephone models which have unique and uncommon designs are considered to be highly attractive and rare.

Hence, they have become valuable enough to be granted as expensive and one of the most valuable collectibles for antique collectors. 

Antique Telephone Value depends on age, rarity, condition, authenticity, and some other factors, and Antique Telephone Value can be as low as 100 USD and as high as 2,000 USD.

In this article, learn how you can find out your Antique Telephone Value along with getting some valuable information related to antique telephones. 

How To Determine The Value Of Antique Telephones

Do proper research

Initiate thorough research on the piece to find out the age, maker, design type, and other valuable information relating to it, for determining its true value.

Access the optimal condition

As the demand of the customers will always differ, you’ll have to choose the most ideal conditions for getting the maximum value for the piece.

Hire an expert

Hiring an appraiser will help in speeding up the process of determining the value of the item.

What Makes Antique Telephones Valuable

Here are some factors which make an antique telephone valuable – 

Raritan: An antique telephone is considered to be valuable if its design or model happens to be in short supply, which makes it rare.

Condition: The condition of the item can be a major factor in determining its value. 

Provenance: It can be any sign or evidence on your antique telephone that it was previously owned by a popular person or housed in a famous building. Such a factor can significantly increase the value of the item.

Authenticity: An antique telephone is of high value only when it is authentic, as fake items have no value.

Aesthetic: The more unique and attractive the item is the more expensive it becomes.

Age: Although age alone is not sufficient for determining the value of an antique telephone; however, it can contribute when prioritized along with other factors like scarcity.

Scarcity: It depends on the features of the telephone. For example, telephones which were produced in a short run are rarer than the ones produced in a large volume for a long time. Hence, their scarcity makes them rare and valuable.

list of the most valuable antique telephones in the world

In the following section, we have mentioned some of the most valuable antique telephones existing – 

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Automatic Electric Monophone 1930’s Deco – Antique Telephone – Rare Ringer Base

Price range: USD 1,000 – 2,000

It is an art-deco desk mono phone from the 1930s. This item consists of a rotary dial and a ringer base. It is very convenient for desk spaces and the design can uplift the style of a particular setup. 

1915 Western Electric Candlestick Telephone Walnut Ringer Box 

Price range: USD 1,000 – 1,500

This is an antique candlestick phone. It can be a very good addition to a retro desk setup.

The structure of this particular item has a candlestick metal frame which is black and shiny and connected to the ringer and earpiece through the original wires.

The ringer box of this telephone has a fine brown oak color.

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Vintage Solid Brass Candlestick Rotary Telephone GEC England Works

Price range: USD 200 – 250

It is a candlestick telephone which is capable of making outgoing calls even without a switchboard operator because it acquires rotary dialing features. This does not consist of any modified or damaged parts. 

Antique Payphone Three Coin Slot LPB-89-55 Red Phone By Automatic Electric Co.

Price range: USD 200 – 220

Automatic Electric Co. which manufactured this particular item was one of the few well-known companies that produced payphones.

The design of this item exhibits that it is a retro piece, probably made between the 1940s to 1960s, because it is metal built and consists of three slots for different coin sizes. 

Western Electric Desk Phone Black Telephone Candlestick Keystone

Price range: USD 250 – 500

It is a desk candlestick telephone. These units were manufactured in the early 1900s; however, this piece in specific has evidence that it was produced in 1915 because it consists of an inscription near its base which portrays so.

That also shows that it was manufactured by western electric.

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Antique Wood Portable Crank Field Telephone Early 1900s Very Good Original Condition

Price range: USD 400 – 600

Its portable crank field telephone is solid evidence of how many intriguing designs Western Electric had to offer. It was most likely to be produced in the early 1900s.

It has the structure of a suitcase and contains components like magneto batteries, earpiece, and mouthpiece in one apparatus, along with a ringer.

Antique Vintage Phone Oak Wall Old Crank Telephone

Price range: USD 100 – 250

It is a box wall phone made of oak wood. Also has a magneto battery compartment, a crank, and an earpiece. It belongs to one of the units manufactured in the late 1800s to the early 1900s by Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Co. 

How to Identify Different Styles Of Antique Telephones

As mentioned earlier, the designs of telephones are constantly changing since their invention, which makes it more difficult to recognize them.

However, the designs of the antique telephones which were well-known in each era could be helpful for their identification.

In the following, we’ve mentioned some popular styles of antique telephones, which will help you in identifying them – 

Wooden Wall Telephones

These telephones had a large rectangular box made of wood which contained all the necessary components in it. The receiver points directly at the user as it works as a microphone and a ringer for indicating incoming calls. 

Candlestick

This telephone has a self-descriptive name. It acquires a tall cylindrical mouthpiece standing like a candlestick. It gets support from its base and holds an earpiece on the side. 

Desk Set

These phone sets were designed particularly for occupying desk space. Their design acquired all the components like the telephone, rotary dial, and ringer – in the same apparatus. 

Payphones

Telephones which were operated by coin were known as Payphones. This device was invented by Gary Hartford in 1889, and patented by him as well.

The History of Antique Telephone

• The very first telephone that was sold commercially was a big wall-mounted telephone that had significantly large components. These phones had cranks and were generally referred to as camera phones or coffin phones due to their boxy look.

• Right after the crank phones, the candlestick design was invented in the early 1900s. These phones had a tall, thin centerpiece that had a round base, along with an earpiece on the side. For communicating, one has to talk through the centerpiece which has an entry that works as a microphone. 

• Along with the candlestick telephones, operator phones have been seen to be utilized from 1892 to 1910 for making outgoing calls. After that, rotary dials were used from 1910 until 1920.

• After 1920, the design of telephones became simpler and still have the major components – a microphone and a receiver – on one apparatus. 

• During and after 1930, the telephone designs became more compact for saving space on working desks. 

• During the beginning of the second world war, telephones were completely made out of metal to make them stronger to increase their durability, except for the exterior which was generally made out of Bakelite. 

• Later, phones became smaller and made of plastic, which resulted in them being lighter and more compact.

• In the 2000s, phones became smaller yet more durable. 

Where to Buy an Antique Telephone

If you are willing to buy an antique telephone, you can do so from reliable online sites like eBay, Etsy, 1stdibs, and Ruby Lane. 

However, some risks might be present in the overall process of buying an antique telephone online; that is because you will not be able to physically check whether the item is in a good condition or not. 

For that reason, it is always a better option to buy antiques from a physical shop or your local antique store.