Retro Rotary Dial Vintage Telephones

Wiki Commons

At one time Rotary Dial Telephones were the latest bit of phone technology to be available for sale. It’s quite hard to believe that now considering how far phone technology has come, and how many things phones can now do. Rotary Dial Telephones are from that now distant, nostalgic time period where making a no-nonsense phone call on your big clunky rotary dial telephone was as good as it got. That’s all that was available and all that was needed. These days there is so much more choice and technology, but it’s not a surprise to me (Because I love vintage phones) that Rotary Dial Telephones are in serious demand.

Most things retro and vintage have gone full circle and are really hot right now. These phones really take people back, like a blast from the past. If, like me, you’re not a lover of modern technology then a Rotary Dial Telephone is right up your street. Vintage Rotary Dial Telephones look really good, much better then all the up to date digital rubbish. I don’t think I would choose any other house phone given the choice. And lets not forget how heavy and sturdy the original Rotary Dial Telephones were. They were built to last. Did I mention that they have two actual bells inside the phones. These phones are LOUD! They sure don’t make them like they used to.

To see the rotary dial telephones when they were in their prime years 1970’s and early 1980’s all you have to do is check out some of the old TV shows that are frequently shown on freeview TV like Minder, Kojak, early Columbo episodes, The Sweeney, and The Professionals. If that doesn’t make you want to go out and buy one nothing will. They were out before this time period but this was the golden age!

You can still buy the original Rotary Dial Phones but with the new phone lines now all consisting of digital technology they would need to be converted. Thankfully some businesses and individuals are out there busy converting these phones so that when you buy one you can literally just plug it into your phone line and start using it. Be warned though, some of the phones are replica’s and not an original vintage Rotary Dial Phone.

As far as pricing is concerned you can get a Retro Rotary Dial Telephone re-make for around £20 – £50. Original converted Rotary Dial Phones can be found for £40 – £50 but sometimes they may be considerably more expensive. £70 – £100. Depending on how much you have to spend on one, and how much you are prepared to hunt down an original will determine which one you end up with. The choice is yours.

Not all, but some of these Rotary “Style” re-makes have a few problems, one being the ringing volume is very low and hard to hear. Another basically being a poor connection in terms of being able to clearly hear the person you’re talking to, or vice versa. Best advice if you want the true old school novelty experience and quality is to try to find an original Rotary Dial Phone that’s been converted. They are widely available.

Best bet online is eBay. The red, black, and cream Rotary Dial Phones are probably the most popular, but my favourite, and most retro looking in my opinion has to be the bottle green ones. Also, lets not forget that there are / were many multi-coloured Rotary Dial Phones made also. However, all look cool, will get many compliments, and will serve you well for many years.