Gray 21 "WANAMAKER"
Published: 5/8/2017
If I would have had this phone at the time I wrote my article on the Gray 24 I would have combined them into one article. Like the the Gray type 24 the type 21 is also known as “The Wanamaker Phone”. This is a complete portable paystation. Like a desk stand it incorporates the hook and contacts with the receiver and transmitter wiring. It also has lead chutes within that carry coins deposited to a gong or bell where they make the ding and bong sounds to be heard by an operator. This unit would have to be connected to the line by means of a subset. The transmitter at the top picks up the sound of the coin signals in order for the operator to hear them. There is no means to return coins for any reason once they are dropped in. This is also the talk transmitter, as you can see a carry handle fits neatly around it. Unlike the gray type 24 with an aluminum housing the type 21 housing is made of cast iron which makes it rather heavy. My Gray 21 was a Bell System owned phone that was found in an attic in Connecticut only a few years ago..