Antique Telephones

Q I’ve seen some interesting ”antique” telephones online and was wondering if the telephones work with modern wiring. I’d like to buy one if I can use it as a phone.

A It depends on the mechanism and wiring in the phone. We tried hooking up two old phones and couldn’t get either of them to ring. There are sites online that show how to rewire an old phone so it works, and there are companies that will do the work for you. They also have replacement parts.