Scrapping old rotary phones

On these old rotary phones I can see several connections that I know to be gold plated silver or gold. They also have screws that do have iron content but I didn't know if they were silver plated. Does anyone know if the screws in these old phones from the 50's have silver plated steel screws? I didn't know if they were worth keeping. Anyone know?

make sure to research these as they sell between $20-150

This thread hurts. Lol. I like collecting real old phones.

I found a nortel hazardous location explosion proof phone in a dumpster. It was a rotary phone from the 50s or 60s and sold for $55 on ebay. Looked cool and sold as a wallhanger.

Originally Posted by BurlyGuys

Breaks my heart that these would be scrapped for a few cents...

I see I'm not the only odd ball that likes old phones. Lol.

I don't know why screws would be plated with silver but then again I don't know alot of things.

I already have too many things that hurt to scrap. Anyone need an old teletype machine?

The old rotary desk phone also have a chunk of lead for ballast. There are guys on this forum Cast Boolits that will buy lead from you for bullet casting. I sell smelted wheel weights to guys there for $1 a pound.

If old things are not trashed (or much better recycled), then all you are left with is something old that everyone has, and no one wants!

I found there's two Gold (plated? Can't tell) contacts in the back of the dial part.
Two little Goldbars....... 1mm x1mm x 2mm approx

alot of these phones have brass bells. If you scrap sell these bells on ebay in a lot.

Originally Posted by newattitude

From where? A missile silo? lol. I had to look up what that was, never even heard of any such thing before!!

That might of also been what was used in mining (lots of explosives down there)

Originally Posted by newattitude

From where? A missile silo? lol. I had to look up what that was, never even heard of any such thing before!!

Military installations. Munitions bunkers just to name one.

DON'T scrap a old phone or parts until you research it. I like older vintage phones and still use some of them.

I have learned that there are folks that collect most anything there is. The trick is figuring out what is a hit and what is a miss.

A very good RULE of THUMB is that if the "item" looks quality made or has a unique or "artsy look" and such. Best research it a bit.

I DO like old telephones from the 60's & 70's as they were some of the best quality telephones made with many choices in colors. I like the first push button phones also. I have a newer model touch tone desk phone manufactured in 1990 that I use near the computer.

I like telephones that RING and not chirp like a drunken parrot. But then I do Live in a TIME Capsule.

Originally Posted by erewen

I already have too many things that hurt to scrap. Anyone need an old teletype machine?

I have a old teletype that I received for free at a auction years ago as the winner of the lot it was in didn't want to mess with it as they are very heavy for there size. They are a interesting curio from the past. I will have to dig mine out and see just what I have.

yeah, I've got an old teletype too. there is actually a group out there that restores and uses these. what color is it? Blue was telegraph, green was Western Union. there was a group that converted these for the deaf to use I believe in the 70's, leading to the invention of closed captioning or something like that I read when I was researching. you can also download a pdf file of the original service manual for these.