Vintage Telephone Restoration and Repair

Vintage and antique telephones are just one of our areas of expertise at Vintage Swank. Great pride is taken in the quality of the telephones we sell and restore. We specialize in restoring amazing vintage telephones from the 1920s-1970s.

Pictured: Unique 1942 Western Electric 302 with original Automatic Electric dial. This telephone was a government issue telephone and a very unique original combination.

Vintage Swank provides FREE estimates on your phone. We will evaluate every phone individually and present the various options to help you get the most out of your vintage telephone. We offer powder coating on all metal body phones which is the most durable and long lasting finish possible, as well as restoration and polishing of all plastic and bakelite body phones. All of our repairs are guaranteed for one year. The warranty covers defects under normal operations and only includes the functional workings (the ability to place and receive calls) of the phone. Scratches, chips, and other cosmetic conditions are not covered. Our restoration policies are as follows:

• Repairs will be limited to older phones (pre-1970s)
• Functional repair includes the phones ability to make and receive calls
• Cosmetic restoration costs will be on a case-by-case basis
• You will always be given a FREE estimate before repairs or restorations are begun
• The customer will assume shipping costs in both directions.
  We strongly recommend insurance. Vintage Swank will not be held responsible for damage occurred in shipping.

Average Costs

The most commonly asked question when it comes to restoration or repairs is what is it going to cost. The simple answer is; it will always be more cost effective to restore a quailty vintage telephone versus purchasing a new vintage telephone.

The cost of repairs will always have many factors. The most common cost comes with the need to replace parts in order to get the telephone operational. We do use original parts in our repairs unless otherwise noted prior to a restoration. In most cases phones will require a proper cleaning and testing of the internal componets and possibly new handset and line cords. There will always be the option to get the exterior brough back to the original sparkle. Depending on the type of phone, metal or plastic, this cost can vary slightly. Below is an average labor cost breakdown for your reference. Once again all repair and restorations will be priced on a case by case basis, but these numbers are a safe place to start. You also need to factor in the shipping to and from Vintage Swank.

The prices listed above are average costs and are not to be considered the exact cost of all repairs and restorations. All repair and restorations will be priced on a case by case basis.

You may send your telephone repair to our warehouse:

Vintage Swank
c/o Restoration Department
7884 Waverley Mill CT
Gainesville, VA 20155
540.636.0069

If you are in the Washington DC / Northern Virginia area, you may drop-off and pickup your telephone at our store. Please make sure to check our hours before you make the trip.

Please contact us about our restoration and repair services if you have any questions. If you are restoring your own phone and want parts or accessories we do offer them, you can find some listed in our Parts and Accessories section. We do offer many more parts than listed so please if you are looking for anything specific. We also offer NOVUS Plastic Polish for the proper restoration of any plastic, Bakelite or lucite item.

Having difficulty removing your vintage dial card holder?

Each telephone has a different method to remove the number card holder. Check out our great detailed tutorial on removing your dial card. The tutorial targets all the major phone manufacturers.

View the Tutorial

Also, don't forget to get a restored dial card insert for your telephone. View Dial Card Inserts. We offer a variety of restored dial card inserts for sale and they can be customized to your phone number or vintage number and extension. Purchase and dial card for $2.00 each. Customization is just $0.50 each. If you need help finding your original telephone exchange check out the Telephone Exchange Project Database.

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