For many members, Singing Wires,
the monthly journal of Telephone Collectors International, is the primary
reason they joined us. Read on to find out why!
Singing Wires presents a unique collection of informative articles and news of the telephone collectors' community. The primary focus is the telephone collecting hobby but it includes many well written articles on telephone history that make it interesting to anyone who is interested in the history of telecommunications.
Singing Wires also includes members' free advertisements.
Advertisments for Singing Wires should be sent to Shana Davis, the editor, at
Article submissions, questions about contents and letters should be addressed to the Singing Wires Editorial Advisory Board at
Deadlines are as follows:
Advertisments: The first of the month. (For example, the advertisments for the July issue must be received by July 1st.)
Article Submission Deadline: The 25th of the month before the issue date. (For example, the July issue article deadline is June 25th.)
Bonus Pages Material: The 12th of the issue month. (For example, the July issue Bonus Pages material must be received by July 12th.)
Designing the Touchtone Dial:
Early Human Factor Research
by Jonathan Finder
The President’s Column
by Jonathan Finder, M.D.
PATENTly Telephone
by Gary Goff
More on Post-Divestiture 2500 Sets
by Russ Cowell
Roger’s Reminiscences:
When Your Phone Goes Dead –
Back Then and Now
by Roger Conklin
Show Announcements
Unique Iskra Kranj Phone
from Slovenia
by Remco Enthoven
Wanted / Buy / Sell / Trade
This Month's Bonus Issue: Dial Patent, Additional Details on the 2500 Sets, A Short History of Iskra, and Human Factors Engineering Studies of the Design and Use of Pushbutton Telephone Sets
From the October 2008 issue: Roger's Reminiscences
Why the Bell System Opposed the Automatic Dial Telephone, Part I by Roger Conklin.
From the June 2004 issue: The Kellogg Type 1000 Masterphone
By Roger Conklin. A definitive article on the Kellogg 1000 or, "Redbar" as it is known by collectors.
From the December 2002 issue: The A-B-C's of Western Electric Desksets
By Gary Goff. Do the terms A1, B1, C1, D1, 102, 202, etc. have you confused. Gary Goff provides a definitive reference as to what they all mean.
From the November 1990 issue: The Western Electric Color Palette
By Paul McFadden. An overview of those elusive Western Electric Colored Sets.
Also from the March 1998 issue: The Wire Chief's Dream. A spooky followup to
The Phantom Circuit originally from the March 1917 issue of The
Telephone News.
From the March 1998 issue: The Phantom Circuit by Paul Wills. A nifty way to obtain
three telephone circuits from four wires!
From the February 1999 issue: The Attachment Corner by Mitch Soroka. This installment
features the Red Cross Germ Proof Mouthpiece.
From the December 1998 issue: The Book Shelf by George W.
Howard. This month, George reviews The Speaking
Telephone, Electric Light, and Other Recent Inventions by George B. Prescott.
From the December 1998 issue: Tickled by Nickel
By Steve Brink. Dedicated to the person who finds a really nice telephone that
needs a little work!
Members and non-members are invited to take out 1/4, 1/2 and full page "display ads" for a very reasonable monthly fee.
The commercial advertising rates for members are:
$10 (ten dollars) for ¼ page
$20 (twenty dollars) for ½ page
$40 (forty dollars) for a full page
The commercial advertising rates for non-members are:
$20 (twenty dollars) for ¼ page
$40 (forty dollars) for ½ page
$80 (eighty dollars) for a full page
Remember that these rates are for "display ads" only. Regular buy-sell-trade listings are always free to TCI members.
Download AdSizeTemplates.pdf for more information.
