Gray 10A Coin Collector
Published: December 2010
Last month we looked at a Gray #10 Shield. Now we have a Gray #10A shield. The differences are few. T
The 10 is mounted to the side of a wall phone on a bracket and the 10A mounts right onto the front of the telephone in place of the transmitter. Like the other 3 slot Gray collectors the coins dropped hit a bell or gong on the way down and the operator listens on the line and hears the sound through the transmitter which is mounted directly to the collector. All coins end up in the coin drawer which is the lower section of the shield. There is no coin return so if coins are dropped before the operator comes on or are dropped in the wrong slots they are lost to the caller, they cannot be returned. The housing is cast iron and the coin chutes are lead.
I threw in another little coin device this month. I would “assume” it is called a Courtesy Coin Box, it was made by the Courtesy Coin Box Co. of Detroit Michigan. It has no electrical or mechanical function in line with the telephone, the phone line or the operator. It was attached to a candlestick phone and worked on the honor system. It states that “courtesy pays” and “local calls 5 cents”. I have seen originals out there at phone shows, antique markets etc as well as reproductions. While the reproductions are nice they are very easy to spot. The originals are made of steel and are painted a very dark green. You may see a little rust on an original. The reproductions are painted black and are made of brass, no rust here. Let’s see, what will we look at next month? Happy Holidays All!