Vintage Automatic Electric Company 3-slot rotary payphone — the classic mid-century American coin telephone, built by AE of Chicago for the independent (non-Bell) phone companies. Black finish with chrome 25-10-5 coin gauge, rotary dial with clear fingerwheel, and "Automatic Electric Company" embossed across the lower housing.
INCLUDED: Three keys — both locks open (upper housing and coin vault door). Coin vault box (numbered 77645). Chrome vault door and coin return. Period typed instruction card in chrome frame (South Carolina 803 area code). Vintage AT&T payphone shipping carton dated 1986 — included for storage/display; not original to this model.
WORKING CONDITION: Dial spins and returns smoothly. Mechanical coin bells chime when coins are dropped through. Sold as-is, untested on a phone line.
INTERIOR: Converted in period with Teltronics dial-tone-first circuit boards (SPC-1B1 and SP105-C, board dated 1980), a common telephone-company-era service modification; the original AE coin relay is not present. Interior photos show exactly what's inside — nothing hidden.
PROVENANCE: Service sticker from a Jostens facility, with an instruction card placing it in South Carolina service. An honest, unrestored survivor.
CONDITION: Real wear from decades of service — paint chipping on the lower housing with metal showing through, scattered marks on the chrome, yellowed card. Please review all photos closely; they are part of the description.
Approx. 18" tall x 9" wide x 6" deep, 43.5 lbs boxed. Packed carefully and insured, with handset, keys, and coin box secured separately inside the box.
Great for restoration, display, game room, bar, diner, or a serious telephone collection.