1960s Pay Phone Bank & Rotary Telephone Decanter

Before rotary gave way to touch-tone and exchanges lost their names, you didn't dial a number — you dialed a word. MOney 4-1200. That's the number embossed at the center of the pay station dial on this matched pair of black-glazed Japanese ceramic novelties, and it places the design reference precisely: late 1950s America, when a coin in a phone meant something and a telephone number told you something about where you were calling. Both pieces are finished in high-gloss black with gold luster accent bands — the desk set at the handset earpieces and base trim, the pay station at the dial surround and denomination header. The pay phone's silver-tone coin intake is labeled 25 / 10 / 5; its instruction placard reads exactly as you'd hope it would:

INSTRUCTIONS — 1. DEPOSIT COINS / 2. LISTEN FOR JINGLING / 3. EMPTY WHEN FULL / LONG DISTANCE SAVER: PULL OUT RUBBER STOPPER BELOW COIN RETURN AND DEPOSIT DOLLAR BILLS

The larger piece is a wall-mountable coin bank — keyhole mount molded into the reverse for hanging, COIN RETURN labeled at the lower front. The smaller desk set is a decanter: lift the fabric-corded handset and the cork comes with it — a guaranteed conversation starter for any bar cart, credenza, or home office shelf that takes itself just seriously enough to have one. Together they are a complete mid-century vignette — one pours, one saves — both stamped JAPAN on the base and built for a shelf that tells a story.

CONDITION

Excellent. Both pieces present with strong, unbroken gloss and no chips, cracks, or repairs noted. Gold luster shows minor oxidation consistent with age but remains largely intact across both handset bands and base trim on each piece.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

Large — Pay Phone Coin Bank

• Height × Width × Depth: 10¼" × 5¼" × 3¾"
• Function: Coin bank; wall mountable via molded keyhole mount, reverse

Small — Rotary Phone Decanter

• Height × Width × Depth: 7½" × 6½" × 4¼"
• Function: Decanter; handset lifts as corked lid
• Material: Glazed ceramic
• Finish: Black high-gloss; gold luster accents; silver-tone coin header (large)
• Markings: "MOney 4 / 1200" (pay phone dial); "JAPAN" paper label (base, both pieces)
• Country of Origin: Japan
• Circa: 1960
• Sold as a pair

Campbell's Soup Can (4" H) Shown for Scale