pay phone story

Payphone Story – Global History of Payphones and Phone Booths

Greek Payphone- Tamura Grey payphone 1974

Manufactured by Tamura in Japan, the compact coin-operated Tamura 674 RedPhone Domestic telephone was further developed for the Australian market and sold as the Victa RedPhone Domestic. Its design subsequently appeared in several countries, including Argentina and Greece. The Greek version retained the red casing and rotary dial but was adapted to accept drachma coins.

Name	Tamura 674 RedPhone Domestic
Date	Developed in Japan in 1968. Marketed in Greece in the early 1970s
Manufacturer	Tamura Japan Manufactured in Japan, design further developed for the Australian market and used extensively abroad (Australia, Argentina, Greece, etc).
Credit	With thanks to- https://collections.otegroupmuseum.gr
Links	Original Japan model 1959 As used in Australia

Tamura Redphone 1968

DImensions: 19,5 x 17,5 x 26 cm Location: Greece Material: metal,plastic

Red-coloured automatic desk phone – coin payphone (operating on 2 drachmas coin) . The device is fitted with a typical rotary dial, a coin collection box with a lock on the top (key included) and a coin return chute on the bottom of its metal base. The handset is connected to the device with a large-diameter coiled red cord. It was first introduced in Australia in 1964. The code GR refers to the use of the telephone in Greece, and the code “674” was maintained in all the countries wherein it was marketed. There are two versions of the redphone, the “tall” one which predominated in the markets abroad, and the “squat” one which was marketed in Greece in the mid-1970s. Specifically, the “squat” version aimed to address the needs for telephony in cafes, restaurants and kiosks, thus justifying its huge success in Greece and worldwide. Technically speaking, the adjustment of the coin acceptor to Greek coins is of specific interest – initially for 2 drachmas and later for 10 drachmas – while the call termination takes place with a time lag and once the receiver has been placed back on the device for a significant amount of time to avoid any accidental call termination.