Lookie what just came up for sale on ebay: >> New Old Stock Electric Living Doorbell for sale on Ebay
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Lookie what’s new at my house: A “Medallion Home – Live Better Electrically” doorbell! The bell even stays lighted! Dear Husband LOVES it!
After 65 years, the plastic push-button on our original doorbell kinda caved in and disintegrated. When DH went to look at the issue, I remembered I had bought this NOS doorbell a whiiiiiiile ago. I kernoodled a bit re: where had I stashed it. And in about three tries, I found it. It hooked right up to the existing doorbell wires, easy peasy.
Seriously. My husband LOVES it.
He gazes lovingly every time we drive up to the house in the dark.
He wanted to make sure I. Did. Not. Throw. Out. The. Box.
As if.
The Medallion Home Live Better Electrically campaign was A Thing, back in the day. But I am so busy working on my speech for Las Vegas that I have not a minute to go find links that explain it. Can you help, dear readers? If you find any good stories, can you post the links in a comment?
Anyone else have memorabilia of this campaign? Or — something original on your house from it?
Ding dong!
He hasn’t updated the blog in quite awhile, but there is a guy in St. Louis who has a whole house that was built as a Medallion home. If you pick through his older posts you can see some highlights.
http://www.livebetterelectrically.org
My grandparent’s home they bought new in 1962–and just recently resold to the fourth owners–is a Medallion home. Their medallion is embedded in the pebble path leading to the front porch. I used to be fixated by it as a kid. The house is a block away from our current home in a cove where I’m almost certain every home is a Medallion Home!
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/894-Park-Valley-Rd_Memphis_TN_38119_M87571-01422
These are all over the sixties/seventies era homes in Orange County! My childhood home, built in 1972, originally had one of these. (in fact, this doorbell looks exactly like my old one!) I have the brochure to that neighborhood explaining that Medallion homes are basically all-electric, which was a craze at that time.
Our neighbor when I was growing up was an electrical engineer and joined the fad by converting their 5 year old house to “totally electric” in the late 1960s. He replaced their hot water heater, furnace, kitchen cooktop and oven, and clothes dryer from natural gas to electric as well as the the doorbell button with one identical to this. The only reason I remember the doorbell was that we played with his kids all the time and rang their doorbell constantly. I think the slogan for doing so was “Clean Living.” As an aside, my dad, a structural engineer, thought converting a house to all electric was dumb. Go figure.
I can’t figure out how to post a picture, but I have the brass door knocker from this campaign! How cool to hear of other items!
Clinton, you can email me via our Contact box, then I can give you the email to send a pic. Thanks! https://retrorenovation.com/contact/
I have a Trine door bell unit and I need a copy of the instructions, if you have instructions could I please get a copy from you?
I don’t think I have any…
I recently purchased (from an Antique store) a solid brass front door knocker with the the Gold Medallion Home Total Electric Award on it. It is in pristine condition, has been in a box and never been used. I was interested in the value. Thank you, Jon Estes from Gloucester VA
Jon, we don’t do valuations…
This is exactly what I’m looking for. Any clue where I can buy one?
You gotta watch for vintage — ebay is likely your best bet. That’s where I found mine.
In Canada (or at least here in Québec), we had the same doorbells in French.
https://flic.kr/p/X4Hkgg
My inlaws had (my MIL still lives in) a GM home. My husband said they had they plaque and bell, but my FIL removed it. 🙁