# Antique Bell/Ringer Box Help?



## Robby Raccoon (Nov 2, 2015)

I do antique telephone paraphernalia as a distant hobby (rarely find anything cheap) and identified this as a Bell/Ringer Box.  I'm guestimating it to be about 1910 - 1920. The only markings are as shown in the following link and say 800 ENAM. Enam I found a confusing 1921 reference to, but it was very unhelpful.I'm wondering if it's Western Electric-made? 
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





Anyone have any better ideas of age and who made it? It appears to have been repaired once. One knob is missing (see above.) It's mainly brass and oak. Dovetailing was very common at this time (how the wood was put together.)
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




The wood is several separate pieces. The lid has two parts to it.  As I was driving it home from its very cheap pickup, it rang for me several times-- thus causing me to laugh. 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


Another angle.Inside. Top.Bottom has little holes at the corners that seem to small to have it be mounted to a vertical surface, but someone might have tried. Side.


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## bottlerocket (Nov 2, 2015)

Very nice find. Can I ask how much you paid?


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## Robby Raccoon (Nov 2, 2015)

$15. I'd expect this one to be $30+, so I wasn't gonna pass up. This brings my telephone history collection to 2 phones (a desk-top rotary as one, the other a 1940s payphone [non-functional,]) a rule book to a telephone company in 1899, and several insulators. I am quite sure it is telephone-related, so it is a Ringer Box by proper definition. Bell Box is more broad and could mean doorbell similar to the one in our front-entrance.  Here is a quick-read link.


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## Robby Raccoon (Nov 2, 2015)

^ This is likely the type of phone my box would have gone with. ^ The earlier "table-top" phones had no built in ringer, so you attached the phone to the box. Now I need a ''candlestick'' phone.Eventually, I'd like to see it work again.


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