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And Yet ANOTHER Black Model 500

Started by Dennis Markham, February 04, 2009, 06:27:12 PM

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Dennis Markham

Santa brought me a box today.  I bought yet another black model 500.  I had been watching it on eBay for a couple of weeks.  The first time it was listed I think the starting price was $9.99, plus shipping.  I had intended on bidding if it stayed there at the end.  I forgot about it.  No one else bid either.  The seller re-listed it for $7.99 and once again I forgot to watch it end.   So I contacted the seller (within minutes of it ending) and offered to buy it at the listed price.  He accepted and now it's taking up space in my work shop.

This phone has some potential.  This is one of those that made it through life without having been updated in any way.  The bottom date is 2/1953---what's that make it, 56 years old this month?  It has some rust on the bottom, but will clean up OK.  The seller lives in Willis Wharf, Virginia although his listing shows Exmore, VA.  So it may be a Virginia phone.  Here is the second listing:

http://tinyurl.com/bch3dc ( dead link 05-13-21 )

I noticed when I unpacked it that the plungers are stuck in the down position.  It sat somewhere for a while---long enough for an alien to build a nest inside the cover near and around the plungers.  I've never seen anything like this nest before.  It is brittle, almost mud-like.  I poked the screw driver through it to illustrate how deep it is.  It actually seems hollow, maybe an inch under the surface of the white part (shown). 

Here's a run-down of the dated parts.

Case:  2-2-53 - 1

Handset - 2-1953
Handset ear cap - 1-53
U1 Receiver Element - 1-30-53

T-1 Transmitter 1-21-53
Transmitter cap - 2-53

Dial - 7A, dated 1-53

Ringer - C2A dated 2-53.  Still wired for party line ringing.

Both cords have strain relief hooks with 2-53 stamped into them.  However, the straight handset cord is in pretty rough condition.  The leather feet are not torn.  The dial card retainer ring has the older clip, but aluminum (not brass).

It will be a future project but I'm confident it will clean up nicely.  Less than $20.  The only disappointment is that there wasn't a nice old dial card in there.  But if there had been someone may have jumped on it.  It flew under the radar twice.  I thought some of you might be interested in taking a look at this phone.

benhutcherson

Very nice Dennis-I have a huge weakness for the seemingly rare straight cords on 500 sets. I suppose I like them from a practical standpoint, since they don't stretch out and look bad like the curly cords.

There's also the fact that a straight cord pretty much guarantees that you're getting a totally unadulterated set.

I find it interesting that this set has the old style number card retainer. I'll have to double check, but I'm pretty sure that my otherwise original '52 set has the newer style. Of course, I also have a couple of '52 302s, both of which have the same style as this one.

I have a '53 set with a straight cord on the way myself-$20 shipped, which I don't consider too terribly bad.

Anyway, Dennis, I'm sure that you can work your magic and make it look brand new.

Dennis Markham

Thanks Ben.  I love a challenge.  I like the straight cords too.  As you can see in my Gravtar......my birthday 500 with the straight cord.  I really enjoy the 7A dial too.  I might have to squeeze this phone in between some of my previously scheduled projects.  I have another one from '53 but it's not all original like this one.

Dan

Please help me when you say it is wired for party line ringing--do you simply need to move the grey cord from ground to the same area the current green cord is hooked? Almost every phone I see or buy has to have the grey wire moved so the bells will ring. I thought this was done to stop "bell tapping and detection by MaBell.  is this what you mean by party line wiring? Thanks
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

Dennis Markham

Yes, that's what I mean by party line ringing.  Actually the wire is black (from the ringer).  Perhaps there were other purposes for the wire being on the G terminal.  It has been my impression this occurred during party line use.  Shown here on the Bell Memorial Site:  http://www.porticus.org/bell/images/500ringerrewiring.jpg

McHeath

Nice phone, it totally flew under my Phonedar.  Of course I've been spending my evenings sanding and scrubbing my 1500, so I guess I need to come up for air a little and see what's going on.  Any residents home in that nest in the shell?

Dennis Markham

Heath, you know I pulled the screw driver out and put the cover back on.  I think whatever was there has been dead a long time.  The stuff crumbled like mud.  Maybe bees???  I saw no other sign of life inside.

JimH

You know I've always wondered why the black 500s had metal dials after the clear fingerwheels on the colored sets came out.  You'd think it would have cost them more to make both wheels, and the dial card rings.  It wasn't until about the late 60s that they went to clear for the black 500s.  Does this sound right?
Jim H.

Dan

"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

JimH

Funny how WE mixed and matched parts.  I have a 1963 BLACK Princess phone that has a G1 handset with "52" imprinted.  Then I have a 1970 2500 hard-wired that has a 1963 G3 handset.  The G1 on the Princess feels klunky and heavy but I don't want to mess with original.
Jim H.

Dennis Markham

Jim, I've never seen a G1 on a Princess.  Seems like it would be easy to crack that thin shell with a heavy handset like that---especially one from '52.  But I've never owned a black Princess.  I am always looking for the right one.  I see one on eBay now.  They generally sell pretty well as they are not that common.  Especially for the early 701B's.

JimH

Dennis, I thought a G1 on a Princess was odd, too. Mine is a 702, with the ringer inside. Paul F.'s website says 1963 was the first year for a black Princess, and by '63 they had the ringer inside (702).  The only thing I can think of is that it's the beginning of the black G3 handsets, and they had some G1s left over?  That would not explain the '52 stamp, though.  I like this one because in pictures of the Kennedy White House from '63 there's pretty much a black princess in every room (except Jackie's....she had a white one on BOTH sides of the bed on each night table. 
Jim H.

Dennis Markham

Jim, that's interesting about the Kennedy's having them.  I think someone put that G1 on after the fact.  I can't imagine W.E. using a G1 Bakelite handset on the Princess phone.  I would be interested in seeing a photo of your phone with the G1 if you ever get time. 

JimH

Here's a couple of pics of the 1963 black Princess with the G1 handset:
Jim H.

Dennis Markham

Thanks Jim for posting those.  It looks very nice.