On Apr 4, 8:47*pm, "
wrote:

Curiously, some landline phones in the building were rotary--are
rotary sets still used in Britain?

They should still work on most if not all public exchanges but the
telephones (apart from various decorative/"special range" ones) will
be more than 25-30 years old by now.

They also command a premium purchase price, where you can find them,
because they are now "vintage."-

In the US, plain Western Electric 500 sets in "as is condition pulled
from service" are often seen at yard sales pretty cheap. I just
picked up two for $5.00 (they need cleaning and cords.) A collector's
piece, such as a rare color of an older set in mint condition will
cost more.

For a while, everday people appreciated their durability and
reliability, but today people have gotten used to the features of
modern phones--like cordless phones, speed dial, and caller-ID
display--that a plain rotary phone is too inconvenient.