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Kellogg 591 "Banjo Phone" Date Information Needed

Started by cello973, December 30, 2012, 11:35:20 AM

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cello973

Hello All,

I have my next project phone on the bench and needed some more info on this Kellogg 591.

Here is what I know so far:
It came with the house we purchased two years ago.
It is soft plastic.
It was owned by Citizens Telephone of PA (Now Frontier)
By the base markings I can tell it is a 591 and was shipped Less Ringer.
I know the SL ringer in the set is dated 82 and was probably installed in place of a party line ringer. at the same time it was converted to 1/4 modular.
And it was manufactured in Belgium.

OH and the handset stinks like crazy!

I cant find any date markings on anything so I cant even begin to guess how old it is.

Am I missing something?

Thanks all in advance,
Vince

Vince

Jim Stettler

That is a rose beige Banjo. Colored KE Banjos are very hard to find.  that is a great find.

Let me know if you are interested in doing a trade.
Jim S.

You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

LarryInMichigan

Congratulations, that is a very rare phone and worth plenty.  The manufacture date would be somewhere around 1954. 

Take a look at: http://www.strombergcarlsontelephone.com/kellogg/kellogg_main.htm and: http://www.strombergcarlsontelephone.com/kellogg/PDF/1954%20BANJO%20K500%20BROCHURE.pdf.


Larry


twocvbloke

If the handset stinks of rotten cheese mixed with vomit, it's definitely Tenite... :D

Jim Stettler

Kellogg later switched to the standard "WE 500" look on their 500 sets. I don't think the Banjo style was around for very many years.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

Jim Stettler

Here is a link for the later KE 500 set. It might have a date in the publication.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/kellogg-book1.html
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

paul-f

#6
The bottom stamping also shows the proper color code for beige (7).  

The color was discontinued in 1957.

Previous discussions suggest the housing style was discontinued in 1956.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

HowardPgh

I think the Made in Belgium on the network is interesting.
Howard

Phonesrfun

I wonder if the MFD in Belgium was an early form of outsourcing or if the phone was made and used in Belgium/Europe?
-Bill G

paul-f

Roger Conklin, a frequent contributor to Singing Wires and the TCI list, offered the following comments on the early history of the Kellogg 500 line.

- - - - -

In the early days of the production of the K-500 by Kellogg, which started in 1954 Kellogg did supplement its own production with receivers and transmitters made by BTM in Antwerp.  I was working for Kellogg at that time and I distinctly remember this.  Most transmitters and receivers were made by Kellogg, but when it was cranking up its production the demand exceeded what Kellogg could produce, so it needed to supplement what it could make by leaning on BTM.  BTM did not make the 500 type telephone, but it had tooled up to make the T1 and U1 receivers for use in telephones of its own design.  Both Kellogg and BTM were owned by ITT.

Some of the earliest K-500 sets used 425 networks purchased from Western Electric.  This was so Kellogg could launch the product before tooling was complete to start producing its own networks.  You will notice that the networks in the K-500 were attached to the base using screws and nuts, where in the WE 500 sets they were secured with rivets.  The reason for this difference was that Kellogg though it was important to make it simpler for companies to replace networks, should this be required.   But as it turned out the requirement to replace a network was so rare that after being in production for a while Kellogg also decided to take advantage of the lower cost process of riveting the network to the base as well.

So it is not uncommon to find from time to time an early K-500 telephone with receiver and/or transmitter capsules stamped "made in Belgium."  (BTM is Bell Telephone Manufacturing Co., Antwerp, Belgium.)

- - - - -
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

Phonesrfun

Well, if anyone alive would know, it would be Roger.
-Bill G

cello973

Outstanding information thanks.
I can then safely assume that it is a 54 or 55 since the house was constructed during a 4 year period between 51 an 55 according to the receipts and documents we found when moving in.

And yes the handset stinks as stated previously so it's definitely tenite

I will be extra careful on this one and will post pics during restoration
Vince

cello973

Just finished last night with the buffing. It looks better in person but here are a few after photos.

I believe the finger wheel is incorrect so if anyone out there has one I am in the market for one and the base cord as well.

Just a side note, when I started cleaning the housing I found a crack in the lower left side and repaired it buffed it as best as I could and it is now nearly invisible.

Vince

AE40FAN

There was an eBay auction for 2 Oxford Grey Banjo phones recently...I think they sold for 180 for the pair....

Dennis Markham

#14
I was second runner up on those Gray Banjo phones.  The buyer was the same buyer that bought the NOS Mahogany 500...and will be the buyer on the NOS Rose Beige 500 (I'm guessing).

I have three Banjos in color.  Yellow, Ivory and Green.  The green one has some damage where someone decided to pop-rivet a modular plug into the side of it.  But they are not found very often in any condition.

Cello, yours looks very nice.  Nice job of cleaning and polishing it!  An open center finger wheel would probably be the correct wheel for that phone.

The yellow one is seen here.