Toy telephone
Codeg
Category
Toys
Date
Unknown
Materials
Metal, wood and paper.
Measurements
Phone - 148 mm (width); 338 mm (height); 104 mm (depth), Notebook - 52 mm (width); 75 mm (height), Banknote - 150 mm (width); 72 mm (height), Medal - 35 mm (diameter)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Sudbury Hall Museum of Childhood, Derbyshire
NT 662379
Summary
A toy telephone called the 'Ranch Phone', which is also a money box. It is constructed to resemble the type of telephone used by cowboys in Western films, i.e. the wooden earpiece is connected by a cotton thread 'wire' and the mouthpiece is attached to the base. The base consists of a wooden backboard to which the wood and metal telephone and a large wood and metal money box are attached. Near the top edge of this is a large hole for hanging it up. The money box has a black-painted metal base in which is a door for removing any 'saved' money. This can be 'locked' and has a silver-coloured metal key, attached to the mouthpiece by a length of orange string. The front and sides are made of thin metal, colour-printed with images of cowboys who are shooting at Indians, getting off horses and answering the telephone. The lid of the money box consists of a sloping piece of wood, rounded at the front corners, cut into which is the slot for inserting coins. Above this, printed in black is 'Insert Coins Here' and 'No charge for Emergency Calls' in red. The lid is screwed to the base. There is a very dirty piece of paper glued to the lid. Near the top of the backboard is the telephone itself. There is a rectangular box whose top slopes towards the front edge, on which is printed 'Codeg, Made in England' and 'Ranch Phone', the latter's letters depicted as if made out of pieces of wood. On the top are two silver-coloured dome-shaped bells (like those on an alarm clock) and a protruding 'clapper' which hits them in turn when a handle at the side is turned. This handle has a red plastic knob. Inside the money box are three very crumpled toy banknotes, printed in blue with 'The Bank of Neverpay', 'One Dud' and 'Not Worth the Paper it is Printed on'. There is also a silver-coloured metal medal which has on one side a crown and 'Patron H.M. The Queen, National Playing Fields Assocn', and on the other side is an image of a young Queen Elizabeth II and 'Coronation Souvenir medal'. Also a small notebook without a cover which has several pencil notes inside. Total number of items is 6.
Provenance
Donated to the Museum of Childhood by Mrs Christine Brumbill in September 2006.
Makers and roles
Codeg , maker