When Western Electric adopted the Henry Dreyfuss design that would be known as the Model 500, no one suspected that its descendants would outlive the company itself. First manufactured in 1949, the 500 saw numerous variants over the years, and lives on even today as a frequently copied design. The most significant modification to the 500 came in 1964 when it was converted to touch-tone dialing. This model, the 1500, lacked the pound and asterisk buttons, both of which were added three years later on the model 2500. (This change denotes a switch from the Type 25 dial to the Type 35) Given its brief production life, the 1500 is today a highly collectible curiosity, the significance of the two missing buttons well known to collectors. The 2500 on the other hand, soldiered on for many years, right to the bitter end. With the 1984 fragmentation of AT&T and the dissolution of the Western Electric name, the 2500 was the end of a long line of dependable products. Read the rest of this entry »
Archive for March, 2008
I’ve been a historian, collector and dealer of antiques & collectibles for years. I know what is sufficiently scarce as to warrant the term, rare. UFOs, Sasquatch, sincere politicians… all rare. So too is the Western Electric “mushroom phone”, also known as the 500H, 500P or 500U. So what is it, and why is it so rare?
The mushroom is basically a run-of-the-mill model 500, with a difference. Located next to the dial, right by the number 4, is a dome-like, a mushroom-like protrusion, a light to illuminate the dial. It fits the space so well, looks so appropriate, it’s hard to believe it was an afterthought. It’s also hard to understand why more of them aren’t around. The button-like hood that covers the bulb is directional, casting the light towards the dial and illuminating the clear plastic fingerwheel. It works great, looks great. So why weren’t they popular? Read the rest of this entry »
Well, we’ve replaced the cords, gotten the ringer to work, adjusted it to perfection (frighteningly loud), and have used it as a primary phone in the Stevens’ household for the past couple of weeks, a test that it passed with flying colors. It still looks a bit more “rugged” than I’d like, so lets see about cleaning and polishing, shall we? While y’all weren’t looking, I took it upon myself to clean up the inside of the phone just a little. No, I didn’t do the whole “fully disassembled and ultrasonically cleaned” thing… that’s wacky. Now hold on there, Mister Ultrasonic, what I mean is that it’s wacky for me. Lest we forget, I’m still a card-carrying rookie, and where telephones are concerned, have never attempted anything more technical than a couple of prank calls. I’m not after an immaculate restoration. This project is all about functional, reliable and presentable. Functional, reliable and presentable… sort of rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it? By golly, that could be the battle-cry of a new movement… “Down with FR (fully restored), long-live FRP!!!” Or not.
Read the rest of this entry »
The Western Electric model 302 was hugely successful, but even its stellar track record pales in comparison to that of the 500. Given the more than adequate performance and reliability of the 302, what did the 500 bring to the table? Internally the ringer was the big story, with an easily adjusted volume control and a new sound, producing a tone that was described as lower pitched and more resonant. Subtle improvements abounded elsewhere, but what the public responded to was the new look, clearly a step towards modernism. As was the fashion at W.E., further changes were made over the years of production, some being performance improvements, while others facilitated more efficient, and cost-effective, manufacture. Still others were implemented with an eye towards marketing, as the decorative aspect of the telephone was exploited more than ever before. Two or more telephones were becoming commonplace in the home, and W.E. added colors to suit most any decor. Read the rest of this entry »
$1,647.22 - Automatic Electric 1A Monophone (nile green)
$709.00 - Loeffler Intercom (pictured)
$655.05 - Western Electric 205 (converted to single-line)
$510.00 - Western Electric 464
$406.00 - Western Electric 5-Line (3500/Autovon), green
$326.60 - Western Electric 302 (metal housing, restored)
Remember how you were drawn to the vintage phone hobby because of the great sound of the old ringers? Well, as seen in the Popular Electronics story below, serious work was being done in 1956 to eradicate that awful sound. How does that saying go, “the grass is always greener… ”
I’ve always been interested in the whole “Lucy phone” thing. Why has the Western Electric model 302 become associated so closely with Lucille Ball? I understand that the phone appeared often in “I Love Lucy”, but it was also in just about every other movie and TV show produced during the ’40s and ’50s. The 302 was, after all, a significant technological jump, and happily replaced earlier models in short order upon its introduction in ‘37. The vast majority of American households had one, so the presence of a 302 in the Ricardo’s apartment isn’t extraordinary. But the phone is clearly visible, and I doubt there is a single episode where the trusty 302 isn’t in plain view. The popularity of the show, then and now, is no doubt the primary reason that Lucy and her phone are joined in the public conscious forever.
While we’re on the subject of TV shows and phones, I was watching Leave it to Beaver the other day. Ward answers the phone, and what kind do you suppose it was? A Western Electric model 500. (Which may or may not be referred to one day as, the Beaver phone)
I’m going to begin by stating clearly, I’m “thinking out loud” here. I’ve seen a shift in priorities regarding certain antiques and collectibles, and had to jot it down while it’s fresh. (That’s the fun thing about blogging… it’s “stream of consciousness” journalism!) 
Speaking in generalities for a moment (about all sorts of antiques and vintage collectibles), I’m seeing a shift away from full-blown restoration. The new trend is one that, to use a medical term, is “minimally invasive”. Let me make an analogy to the vintage automobile world. (I love analogies) You’re liable to be familiar with the Barrett-Jackson classic car auctions, with all those immaculately restored automobiles bringing record prices. But in the past few years they’ve had company, as many non-restored vehicles, survivors, have gotten their share of attention. A survivor is, generally speaking, a car that hasn’t been brought back to “like new” condition, but is instead a low-mileage, gently used vehicle that, while not perfect, is extremely nice… and not tampered with. Not long ago a “survivor” was prized because they could be easily restored, but today they’re a popular genre unto themselves. Is this going to happen with vintage telephones? I just wonder if flawless restorations will eventually be perceived as rather sterile, lacking the honest look that comes from years of service. Read the rest of this entry »
If you’re into collecting, chances are that you also enjoy history and historical research. Me too. That’s why I’m placing my 302 restoration on hold for a moment, directing my attention towards what may seem an odd subject… what substance were the cases/bodies of Western Electric telephones made from? The short answer is, “The first 302s were metal, but they switched to plastic at the start of WWII. All phones thereafter were plastic.” That’s about right, but what type of metal? What sort of plastic?
As with the 202 before it, the model 302 was introduced with a body made of a zinc alloy. But because metals were sorely needed to wage war, the ’40s saw the alloy replaced by plastic. Some sources would have one believe that the first bomb to hit Pearl Harbor immediately caused phone production to “go plastic”, but a transition period was involved. (Western Electric seems to have been big on transitional periods)
The use of plastics was clearly the future, but what sort of plastic? Plastics such as cellulite, bakelite, rayon and lucite had been around for years, but new formulations were being developed, as well as new uses for the old ones. W/E had been manufacturing handsets from bakelite for some time, and would continue to do so, but opted to go with thermoplastics for the 302 body. Thermoplastic is a tortuously vague term, applied to formulations with wildly varying characteristics. In general, thermoplastics can be distinguished by their response to changes in temperature, melting to liquid with heat and turning hard/brittle with cold. (This contrasts with phenolic materials like Bakelite that burn with the application of heat rather than melt) Western Electric used a proprietary formulation of thermoplastic called Tenite, introduced by the Eastman Chemical Company in 1929. The use of plastic allowed Western Electric to introduce a rainbow of colors, but this was done towards the end of the 302’s tenure with relatively few examples produced. The 500, on the other hand, would carry the colorful-decor torch into the future, making all those black phones look… well, old. Read the rest of this entry »
A ringer test was called for, but the 302 first needed new wiring, so I changed out both the line cord and handset cord with reproduction items acquired from oldphones.com. The originals were pretty rough, and the new line cord features a modular jack… high-tech! 
As I expected, the ringer did not ring, nor was there even the slightest quiver from the striker. (”clapper”, I believe, is the proper term) So why wasn’t it working? One often hears about incorrectly wired phones, but given that there appeared to be decades of undisturbed grime inside, I really thought that to be unlikely. Just to make sure, I did some ‘net surfing to find a wiring diagram. Well, one of the first things I discovered is that several variations of the basic Western Electric 302 were produced, resulting in an alarming number of “similar but different” wiring diagrams. I wouldn’t have found this to be a source of great concern if not for the fact that the diagrams didn’t clearly indicate (at least not to my rookie eyes) how to identify the variations. I found nothing that could tell me, with any confidence, which diagram I should place my trust in. Then I had a brainstorm… consult an expert! Read the rest of this entry »
So here it is, my first “project” phone! Many will recognize this as a Western Electric Model 302, the first W/E telephone to have the ringer contained within the body of the phone itself. (The previous designs, the 102 and 202, required a separate ringer box) The 302 was introduced in 1937 and remained in production until… I don’t recall. It might have been through the early ’50s, but it doesn’t matter. I’ll dedicate myself to doing historical research another time, but one should know that 302s were made with both metal bodies (I think a zinc alloy) and with plastic bodies. The metal bodies were phased out following the outbreak of WWII, replaced by the thermoplastic that would be used from that point onward. This particular phone, dated 10-46, is plastic. Fresh from eBay, it seems complete and the condition is pretty good, although the cords are shot and it presumably doesn’t ring. Job one will be to make it work, followed by cosmetic restoration. Can I turn this neglected classic into a functioning thing of beauty? Stay tuned!
My motivation for creating this site is simple: to share my new-found interest in vintage phones with others. Most vintage telephone websites are created by experts in the field, but I, Mark Stevens, am an honest-to-goodness rookie. Green. Wet behind the ears. I figure that any experienced telephone enthusiast can create a compelling website on the subject, but when a complete novice hangs it all out, risking internet-wide humiliation, now that’s entertainment. I invite you, whether rookie, expert or somewhere in between, to join me as I learn old phone repair and restoration, and even delve into the history of the phones and the companies that made them. I welcome all correspondence, be it helpful tips or questions, and will make frequent posts that chronicle the various stages of my projects. If the paths taken by my other websites are any indication, ClassicRotaryPhones.com will grow, and ultimately be much more than a blog. I hate to guess what lies ahead for the site, but a community forum for vintage phone enthusiasts is one possibility… we’ll see!
…and how did you get here? In fact, where is here? Well my friend, you are at at the dawning of my third website, classicrotaryphones.com. I’ve got an awful lot to say about old telephones (including an explanation of why I’ve burdened myself with yet another project) but as you can see, I’ve got a lot of work to do before this site is a fit place to visit. It’s just roughed-in at present, but will grow substantially over the next few days as I create graphics and other content. If you collect, study, restore, sell, or, hopefully, use vintage telephones, you’ll definitely want to check back!
