WE Imperial

[Phonesrfun]

SOmeone has asked that I post a picture of the Imperial phone I have so they can see what one looks like.

So, here it is.  I got mine at the Seattle phone collectors show in June from a fellow collector.  Today, I ordered an ivory 684 subset cover from Ray Kotke to replace the balck one I currently have.

In the 50's when people were starting to once again get on their feet after the war, the Bell System had replaced boat-loads of older phones with 302 and 500's.  Someone at Ma Bell had the idea of cleaning up the old 202's and making them special.  So, they created the Imperial line and the Continental line. 

The Imperial was painted with gold or silver paint that makes them look very classy.  They replaced the black dial with a #5J and painted the dial white around its exposed outer edge, and put a plastic modern finger wheel on them.  They used the F1 handset, but painted them ivory, and used ivory fabric cords.

The Continental was the same idea, except the bodies were painted in various designer colors with the handsets painted the same color as the body.

The Bell System installed these and charged an extra charge for the priveledge of having one.  Just like the D1 (202) predecessor, the Imperial and the Continental needed a subset.  Nothing inside the phone had changed, only its looks.

Dennis Markham has been working on a Pekin Red Continental and has posted pictures of that.  So, here is my Imperial.  I believe Dennis said he owns an Imperial or two also.

[Dennis Markham]

That is a great looking Imperial Bill.  I have a gold one that isn't nearly as nice due to some crazing or lines on the gold base.   The dial card looks very nice too.  Was that original to the phone?

I posted some photos of a silver Imperial I got a while back.  Here is that link:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=702.0

[Phonesrfun]

Interesting story about the dial center, but no it is not original with the phone.  I need to straighten it too.  It's in there crooked.

There is a seller on e-Bay that sells phone parts.  Her name is Adelle.  I once bought several parts from her, and I happened to correspond with her over combining shipping.  In the process, she offered me a free blank dial card because I had bought several other items from her in the past. 

When I got it, I was bowled over.  It was ALpine 4, which is the exact exchange name of the exchange in my house for years when I was a kid.  The only problem is that it was for an office phone because it has room to stamp an extension number.

I went to staples and bought a hand numbering stamp for pretty cheap, and a stamp pad and stamped my own number from my old home number on the dial card.  Unfortunately, the ink bled a little on the card surface, so the numbers are not as crisp as I would otherwise like them to be.

[Dennis Markham]

That's a great story Bill.  That's pretty incredible that she sent you the same Exchange card.  It looks pretty good from here.

I have purchased items from Adelle on several occasions and have even mentioned her name here on the Forum.  She has a lot of quality stuff and if anyone is ever looking for original A.E. dial card rings along with an original card she always has them.  She is a very friendly lady and always helpful.  Her father is a long-time phone collector, Paul Vaverchak.

[Phonesrfun]

Wow, I did not connect the dots with the names.  Paul Vaverchak is a name I recognize, but whom I have never met.  Probably an East-Coaster.

[ntophones]

Great phone! I thought that's the kind of phone you were talking about!
Thanks for posting it and telling the stories.
nto

[Jester]

That is a very nice Imperial, Bill.  You will like Ray's Ivory subset cover--I really enjoy mine.  Since the sides are so thin, I had a little trouble with warped edges, but was able to straighten them by warming the plastic with a hairdryer set on low heat & applying pressure to the warped edge with my thumb & index finger.  It now fits the flanged edge of the base perfectly.

[jsowers]

That's a fine looking Imperial. I have always been mystified about one claim that some people make about Imperials. That they were made to mark an anniversary in the Bell System in 1953. But all of them seem to date to 1955 or so. Continentals too. Or rather, the newer parts date to 1955, like the cords and transmitter and receiver capsules. The housing and handset were recycled. But still that 1953 date persists, mostly in auctions (not that auctions are always right--far from it). Does anyone have any proof of that 1953 date that contradicts all the dates inside the phone?

I have a 1955 WE Apparatus catalog with a Continental pictured. It says the phone was made to be a bedroom set because its smaller footprint made it able to fit on the bedside table, kind of like the Princess did a few years later. Of course, that didn't stop people from putting them wherever they wanted them, but I can see the advantage of the small footprint.

Could those who have Imperials post the 1950s dates they find inside them? I have two at home and can post them later. It would be interesting to see if the 1955 thing stands up.

[JimH]

I've never seen one earlier than 1955, and the ones I have are all from '55, except one has cords from '56.  In all the collector books they mention 1951 as the year they were introduced, to commemerate the 75th anniversary of the telephone.

[Phonesrfun]

Mine is 1955 also.

[jsowers]

Jim, you're right. The books do say 1951, not 1953 as I had thought. It's a mystery how that got started, because none of them seem to be from 1951. I posted three Imperial pictures I have. Two are mine and one belongs to a collector friend. All of the capsules are very late 1954 or 1955.

[Dennis Markham]

I spent some time the other night opening up my two Imperials and the Continentals to see what the dated parts were for this post.  I seem to have a mixture of dates.  For what it's worth, these are the dates:

Silver Imperial

Dial Plate & #6 Dial - 1955
Handset and Mounting Cord - '55
U1 Receiver - 9-1-55
T1 Transmitter - 8-25-55
Painted F1 Handset

Gold Imperial

5J Dial dated 8-52
105B Dial Plate - 1-52
Coiled vinyl Handset Cord - Dated III 55
Mounting Cord - Dated 55
Ivory Handset - Not painted - Dated 12-1955
HA1 - 1-56
T1 - 6-5-56

Pekin Red Continental

Body Stamped 6-1955
5J Dial - 5-1955  Rim painted White
164A Dial Plate - 6-1955
Mounting Cord -53
No HS cord
U1 - 8-31-59
T1 -  2-52

Green Continental

4H Dial - Rim painted Green
Mounting & Handset Cords - 1955
Original base date III 1935
Solid F1 Handset dated 5-47
Elements from 9-1940

Ivory Continental

4H Dial - Rim painted Ivory
Handset cord - IV 54
Replacement Mounting Cord
Original base date 3-1937
H1A - 3-31-49
F1 - 4-42

Green Continental #2

5J Dial - 6-1950  Rim Painted White
Handset 11-48
H1A 9-48
T1 - 7-1955
Original Body dated III-1936
Both cords reproduction

Last but not least.......

This Ivory Continental is pretty much dated 1937 or earlier.  I don't know that it qualifies as a Continental or not.  It was painted Ivory.  It's a D1/E1.

4J Dial dated II 37
149B Celluloid covered dial plate - II 37
Handset dates from 1937 - "Bullet" transmitter
Body stamped II 37
Mounting Cord dated 4-33
Handset cord is undated but appears to be same as MC.

I've posted photos of this in the past but will attach it here again.  As I said, I don't know if this would be considered a Continental.

Sorry for the long post.

[bingster]

I don't think that one qualifies, as the B1 and D1 bases were available in colors from the very beginning (although not quite the carnival of colors that would be seen later).  I think the Continentals are strictly defined as the re-issue sets, rather than the painted originals.

However, thanks for posting that photo again.  Out of all your phones, that's the one I most lust after.

[Craig T]

Great Phone and beautiful paint job   I like the idea for stamping the dial card, that looks real nice. I will try that with some of mine.

[JimH]

I think the "75th Anniversary" tag was just an excuse.  They didn't really put them out until 1955, and they couldn't really say it was a "79th Anniversary".  I do wonder how that worked.  Did they advertise these?  Did they depend on the phone man to say, "hey, how would you like an old style new phone"?  I would love to see a brochure if one exists.  You'd have thought they would have offered the painted continentals for the same lease price as the new 500s, just to get rid of them.  I don't think nostalgia was as big back then.