Very odd table - thoughts?

Hi,
It had to be something mechanical that heated up a bit. Those airholes on the bottom would be for ventilation. I love the idea of seances.
greg

 

That makes sense......the air holes I mean !!! lol....

 

It's not British military. That would have MoD markings and/or a broad arrow on it, with typically a year number. And it's far too ornate, for want of a better word - we really didn't do stuff that looked that much like furniture.

If it were GPO/PO - both of us worked for them! - it would have very set and standard markings, too, and we'd have recognised them. The use of No xx is also pretty common on all sorts of commercial stuff here, to indicate a variant of a standard model of a thing.

I do agree about the pattern of thread discussion, it's absolutely fascinating.

I'm determine not to sell this thing now till I can get a clue about it - may well end up bouncing it off some UK sources, given it seems not to be a one off. I shall keep y'all posted, with huge thanks for any further ideas, or stuff that anyone comes up with!

 

Davey, I saw that one too. But mine has no false panels, no space for a concealed power lead, nothing. The legs and surrounds are all totally solid wood, with no sign anything was ever meant to move or remove. And, all the table radios I've found have no "floor" - below the lid, there is nothing, and the radio/speaker assembly simply lifted out. So, you'd not need the letter indications.

 

Here's another like Davey found, but Bear beat me to the punch of pointing out that her table has no panels that open and the top of hers doesn't open, etc.
http://www.tuberadioland.com/AtwaterKent-Kiel55_main.html

--- Susan

 

Other forum thread on this-interesting ideas-part of intercom?

Some fantastic old radios in f masek slideshow-hundreds actually.

http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=266652

 

Spring, I'd think too many "connections" for an intercom. The Geek and I built one a few years back: it was two wire connect throughout.

I love old radios, that's a very neat site!

 

Take it for what it is now. It's just a table, nothing more. Whatever is was, must been more to it, is gone, now making it just a table. Set a vase on it.

 

If it were mine, I would. But I'm selling it for the estate, with the funds going to help with the care of the elderly and frail beneficiary. So,if I can optimise the proceeds by finding out a bit more about it, I will. I'm always leary of underselling the unusual!

 

That's cool. Hopefully you can get top dollar for it. It is nice to research some things at times but other times, you just feel like beating your head against a brick wall.

 

It's like a painting that I bought yrs ago. It was a ship with the patriotic colors draped over the front, being launched. It had a haul number. Thought it was cool. The ship had a hull number. After researching and contacting the Navy Museum, it was confirmed that it'
SS FRANCIS PRESTON BLAIR being launched in 1943. The painting is also dated 43.

 

If intercoms and alarms aren't sexy enuf call it a magician's magnetic levitation illusion table, which incorporates the hex shape. So if it sells over $1000. With my idea, all I want is 10%. I mean, who can say it isn't-it might be, right-it has connection points marked L which is most likely a magnetic or inductive coil, and B for battery; H: Houdini?

 

Well how amazing! The folks on the other forum cracked the code-the table connection lettering matches the lettering used on connections for Model 302 and earlier telephones: http://www.beatriceco.com/bti/porticus/bell/telephones-olderthan500.html

 

Aha! A telephone table, then. Sadly, that means it's probably not worth $1000...

 

???
What am I missing? Where is the mouthpiece? where would it connect?
Where would the cord to the wall come out?

 

Knew something was missing.

 

OK, I'm missing something here as well.

I can't see a schematic on that website that matches the codes on my table. The other thing is, why would a US phone of some kind have tables over here? (Don't forget, mine seems not to be unique.)

One thing I do know a bit about is the history of telephony in the UK. Both I and the geek started our careers in what was then the PO and GPO and did technical training around Strowger exchanges, telephone handsets, and so on. I worked on telephone exchange network planning for a few years, and himself was an engineer.

All telephone handsets in the UK were PO/GPO commissioned and built, up until after privatisation in the 1980s. This thing is much earlier than that - it ought to have a GPO part and approval number, for example, if it were ever intended for UK use. And there's far too many connections: telephones only need a two wire connection - three for shared service - with a condenser and a bell in series, and not a lot more.