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Skyline Traders
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Antique Switchboard 30 Line
The first telephones in the 1870s were rented in pairs which were limited to conversation between those two instruments. The use of a central exchange was soon found to be even more advantageous than in telegraphy. Small towns typically had the switchboard installed in the operator's home so that he or she could answer calls on a 24 hour basis. In 1894, New England Telephone and Telegraph installed the first battery-operated switchboard on January 9 in Lexington, Massachusetts.
Early switchboards in large cities usually were mounted floor to ceiling in order to allow the operators to reach all the lines in the exchange. The operators were boys who would use a ladder to connect to the higher jacks. Late in the 1890s this measure failed to keep up with the increasing number of lines, and Milo G. Kellogg devised the Divided Multiple Switchboard for operators to work together, with a team on the "A board" and another on the "B." These operators were almost always women until the early 1970s, when men were once again hired. Cord switchboards were often referred to as "cordboards" by telephone company personnel. Conversion to Panel switch and other automated switching systems first eliminated the "B" operator and then, usually years later, the "A". Rural and suburban switchboards for the most part remained small and simple. In many cases, customers came to know their operator by name.
As telephone exchanges converted to automatic (dial) service, switchboards continued to serve specialized purposes. Before the advent of direct-dialed long distance calls, a subscriber would need to contact the long-distance operator in order to place a toll call. In large cities, there was often a special number, such as 112, which would ring the long-distance operator directly. Elsewhere, the subscriber would ask the local operator to ring the long-distance operator.
Excellent as display piece in a shop or home.
Good condition
Please look at the pictures for more description and if you have any questions please feel free to ask.
See postage and payment terms below the images.
This is a pick-up option only in Fourways Johannesburg
Pick-up charged at R50
No bundling will be done with the purchase of this item
Please pay within 48 hours of final bid – where no payment is made we will unfortunately need to re-list the item.
Note that buyers selecting Cash Deposit as payment method will incur a Cash Deposit Fee of R16.50.
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