Model 500 Rarity: “The Mushroom Phone”
Telephone History March 27th. 2008, 5:28am
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?
One can only assume that their rarity today is due to subscriber apathy “back in the day”. [An old magazine ad for the phone can be found on the Vintage Advertisements page - Mark] Did cost, either on the Western Electric end or the consumer side, play a part? It’s difficult to imagine where this great idea, and smooth execution thereof, failed. Anyone know what brought on its demise? I should mention that this isn’t the first time such a gadget for dial illumination was marketed. In the 1930’s the W.J. Baker Company came out with what was called Phillip’s Handy Light, a multi-purpose light that could be fastened to a candlestick phone. (It’s featured in the April 2005 issue of the ATCA Newsletter) A surprising resemblance can be seen!
There’s a lot more that isn’t known about the mushroom phone. The 500U has a twist-button (a “key” in Western Electric parlance) to control the lamp, whereas the H and P do not. The U’s button, located just outside the number 7, can be adjusted so that the light stays on dimly when not in use, serving as a night-light. 
(Rather like the Princess phone that would appear years later) Without the switch, the light comes on only when the handset is picked up, and those models would be an “H” or a “P”. Then how do the H and P differ? How many mushrooms were made? Unknown. What years were they produced? They seem to have been introduced during the earlier years of model 500 production (mid-’50s), but actual year is unknown. Last year for the mushroom is also unknown, but it appears to have been available well into the ’70s. (Possibly discontinued in 1976) What colors were available? Moss Green, Aqua Blue, Rose Pink, Cherry Red, White and Black are known, but others were almost certainly made as well. If you see one at a local thrift shop for $20, should you snap it up? Yes.
Many thanks to Dennis Markham from VintageRotaryPhones.com for providing the photos!
April 8th, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Since the phone companies had to supply the electrical power to the phone, they had to pay the electrical bill for that little light bulb to light up. Since they had thousands of customers, thousands of little light bulbs having to light up may have made it too expensive for this variant to take off.
April 21st, 2008 at 11:39 am
I understood the power for the light was supplied through a transformer that was plugged into an outlet at the subscriber’s location, therefore the customer would pay the cost of electricity used for the little light bulb. Am I right?
April 24th, 2008 at 8:45 pm
You are correct Jim. The power for the lamp came from the subscriber’s electrical wall outlet via a transformer. The electricity supplied by the telephone company was only enough to ring the ringer.
December 22nd, 2008 at 11:30 am
I’d bet that the phone company insisted on replacing the bulb themselves whenever it burned out. That’s alot of service calls. Does anyone have any idea how much extra they charged for these phones every month? I’m guessing that a lease rate that covered their costs for servicing the phone seemed prohibitive to customers, leading to little demand. Probably ony used for phones in rooms that had to be kept dark. Movie theatres etc.