20 Awesome Retro and Vintage Phones for Your Home

No, you are seriously not dreaming. If you've ever wanted a model from the early days of the telephone, you can actually own one without having to pay a fortune for an antique. This is because a few companies have produced replicas of this type of phone, and with all the features of modern day technology.

One of the most exquisite modern day recreations that I've ever come across is the "Eiffel Tower" 1892 Reproduction by Paramount [>>]. As you can tell from the picture on the right, it's a gorgeous replica of an 1890s phone, complete with a diecast body frame and handset, and realistic "magneto" generator ornaments. It's not just for show, either! It has push button dialing and a center button for redial, so you can use it as more than just a conversation piece.

Another beautiful reproduction is the Golden Eagle Porcelain Phone. This is a pretty black phone with flower ornamentation, gold-accents and a handle made of porcelain. Is it functional? Yes-- just like the 1892 Eiffel Tower reproduction above, it has push button dialing with a redial option, so it can be used just like a modern unit.

Although they're long extinct, so-called "candlestick" style telephones are instantly recognizable to modern day users because of their appearances in old movies and vintage pictures [>>].

Not surprisingly, these phones were called as such, because their base was tall and slender like a candle. They did not have handsets. You had to speak into the base itself (which had a mouth piece) and listen to the speaker on the other line with a cup-like receiver that you placed against your ear. Rather cumbersome to say the least, but no less cool looking!

Thanks to a few companies, there are quite a few reproductions of these unusual-shaped phones. For a really basic candlestick, two models you may want to look at are put out by Crosley-- the Crosley Candlestick Phone CR64 in Brushed Chrome and the Crosley Candlestick Phone in Black. As the link description states, these are two very basic, yet elegant versions of 1900s candlesticks, making them perfect for the den, hallway, or study.

You aren't, of course, limited to these spartan styles. Two far more decorative models are the Golden Eagle Candlestick and Paramount Roman Column 1897 Reproduction. The former candlestick is made of wood with brass-colored accents (the brass is plastic) and the latter is black and gold with the ornamentation of a Roman column. These are the types of phones you would've found in the homes of the "hoi polloi", in contrast to the more basic phones above, which were designed for the common folk.

^^ Roman Column 1897 Reproduction

Even though they're long gone, to this day people have a fondness for the rotary phone, those wedge-shaped phones with circular dials that dominated the market for decades before the touch tone took over. Why is that? They were, after all, big, clunky, heavy machines that took forever to dial, so what gives?

Well, it's not just because of nostalgia. There was a certain charm in "pulse dialing" (the "clickclickclick" sound that would result when you spun the dial). Furthermore, older model phones are just nicer to look at because of their shapely design. That's no accident, as a few excellent industrial designers were recruited to make them, most notably Henry Dreyfuss, whose designs became the standard look of phones for many, many years. Let's look at a few reproductions:

1. 1930s Phones

If you're looking for a very stylish, early version of the rotary phone, there is the 1930s reproduction, the Crosley Kettle Classic Desk Phone, with its very shapely design [>>]. A slightly later version that's been reproduced is the Crosley 302 Desk Phone, which is a replica of a 1937 model designed by Dreyfuss. Sadly, the "dial" doesn't work like a regular rotary phone; it's push button. However, you can switch the phone to a "pulse" setting so it sounds like a classic rotary phone.

2. 1950s Phones
The aforementioned styles of rotary phone didn't stay for long. Sometime later, Dreyfuss would create a more sleeker design-- the Western Electric 500-- as seen in this Ivory Desk Phone recreation by Crosley. Debuting in 1949 in "Basic Bell black", it was later reintroduced in a large variety of shades and became the most widely used rotary phone for the next few decades!

^^ Crosley Ivory Desk Phone (CR58-IV)

As popular as this design was, it was not the only shape that rotary phones would take. One example is the "princess" phone, which debuted in 1959 from Western Electric and is lovingly reproduced in this 1950's Princess Phone recreation by Crosley. Because of its designer colors and soft shape, the Princess Phone became a popular home phone, since it was a stylish alternative to the more business-like desk phone. Later its popularity would be supplanted by the "Trimline" line of phones, introduced in the 60s and still very much in use today.

Youth today in the age of cell phone technology may wonder what in the heck people from the past did if they needed to make a phone call while away from home. Little did they know that thanks to pay phones, the public was pretty much well covered. For as little as five cents, a person could make a phone call no matter where they were, whether it was a restaurant, hotel, airport, or pharmacy.

The most famous model was the "3 coin slot" pay phone, which was introduced in the 1950s [>>]. As the name suggests, this distinctive-looking phone had 3 slots for customers to drop their coins into. The first slot was for the quarter, the second for a dime, and the third for the nickel. At the base of the phone was a slot in which the phone would deliver the customer's change or spit back a defective coin.

Amazingly enough, Crosley put out a recreation of this phone, as you can see with the Classic 1950s Pay Phone. Built in classic black and silver, it looks very much like one from the past. You can even drop coins into it like a real pay phone-- but don't worry, you can still make calls without paying; the phone doubles as a coin bank!

By the way, what if you really like this phone but for some reason wish it were in a less austere color scheme? No problem-- Crosley has several different colored versions of this phone in a sizzling red, as well as a cute "hot pink", making it easier to color coordinate with your pre-existing decor.

For as long as the rotary phone existed, it seemed as if it would last forever. This seemed especially true when the much easier to use touch tone phone was debuted in the early 60s. As wowed as the public was by it, everyone still stubbornly clung to their rotaries. But alas, rotary's supremacy would finally end in the 1980s, when touch button phones finally became the standard.

Touch tones still exist today; however, the earlier ones had a very distinct look that is unmistakeably 60s and 70s. For a good facsimile of this era of telephone, there's the terrific Cortelco Single Line Desk Telephone, which will really bring back memories for those of us who are old enough to remember them.

^^ Cortelco (ITT-2500-MD-BK) Single Line Desk Telephone

If you think the black version of this phone is a little too business office-like, Corteclo also put out the stylish Cortelco Kellogg 2500 Desk Mount Phone in Ash and also the Cortelco Kellogg 2500 Desk Mount Phone in Red. Both are perfect for bringing in a bit of "retro" into your home office or hallyway.

Not all phones for home usage were tabletop phones; many of them were wall phones. Let's look at the recreation of two popular models from the past:

1. Crosley CR92 Country Wall Phone II

The Crosley CR92 Country Wall Phone II is a charming reproduction of a wooden wall phone from the 1920s. Not only does it have the classic look with its odd shape and metal "eyes", it even has a hand crank that turns!

2. Crosley 302 Wall Phone
Henry Dreyfuss, who designed the rotary phones mentioned in the above section, also designed wall phones. Crosley put out a recreation with its 302 Wall Phone, which was the wall phone version of the "500 series" of tabletop phone. True to Crosley's fashion, it also has additionally colored versions of this phone for color coordination-- one in in a fiery red and the other in in a shiny chrome.

This marks the end of this lens-- I hoped you enjoyed it. For a list of the phones mentioned above, please check the appropriate "Mentioned in this Lens" section below.