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Very Happy to find This One!

Started by Jester, November 09, 2009, 12:53:17 PM

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Jester

Some of the hardest colors to find in soft plastic 500's seem to be the ones introduced in '57.  I was fortunate enough to win this recent auction of six phones, including this really nice early example of light gray with 12/57 stamped on the base.  Now that it's here, I have verified that all dated parts are from 12/57 except the transmitter capsule (a replacement, dated '62) and both cords are dated I 58.  This is the only example I have that was made the same year the color was introduced, and it almost missed!
http://tinyurl.com/yzv7k9u
( dead link 09-14-21 )
Stephen

Dewdrop

Happy Birthday to Jester. Was this your birthday gift to yourself? Sometimes you just have to take care of birthday gifts on your own. That was a DOOZY! (just kidding) I was watching that eBay listing also, but with two sons and a daughter-in-law all in college I passed it BIG time.

Congratulations!
Debbie

Dennis Markham

Happy Birthday Jester!  That was a nice birthday gift to yourself.  I sat there with my finger on the trigger on that one but decided I didn't all those other phones.  I spotted that Light Gray in the mix.  The price was right for sure.  That Light Gray phone alone is worth the sale price.  You could sell the rest of the lot and still make your money back.  Nice grab.  I'm glad someone here got it.

Dan/Panther

Great find, can you give an idea of what you paid.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

Craig T

What a great phone! Congrats, it looks awesome!

bwanna

donna

Jester

Thank you everyone for the compliments & the birthday wishes--it was a great day! :D

D/P,

I added a link to the auction page to my original post.
Stephen

Dennis Markham

Stephen, was that MElrose card in the finger wheel when it came to you?  Upside down in there?  That other Light Gray is an awesome phone as well.

Jester

Dennis,

Yes, the MElrose card was the one upside down in the dial.  Not a bad find.
Stephen

gpo706

Hmmmmmm!

You gotta stop this stuff, I'm drooling over these, only got a bashed black and a rather nicer red...
"now this should take five minutes, where's me screwdriver went now..?"

McHeath


jsowers

That's a very nice light gray. Note how much thicker its cord is than the other one beside it. Those early cords are hefty ones. That's a nice bonus card too. My Aunt Stella's exchange is MElrose. Her sister, Aunt Jane, still thinks of her phone number as ME3-2611, having memorized it in the 1950s and it hasn't changed since then.

I couldn't help seeing your DuPont White Polishing Compound in the picture. I use that too. It really gets the crud off the soft plastic and does no damage at all. It seems to have a mild solvent in it that dissolves even paint splatters. I get it in a large can at my local mom and pop auto parts store. I apply the compound with circular strokes, let it dry, and then use a damp paper towel to remove it. Then I apply Novus 2 and polish with a dry towel, as the "wax." Like polishing a car in the old days before clearcoat paint.

Be sure to post some pictures of the finished phone. I'm sure you had a happy birthday with all those phones.
Jonathan

Tonyrotary


Jester

I see it's been seven months since I last reported anything on this one.  What can I say--I get distracted easily! :o ::)  Anyway, I FINALLY finished the cleanup on this one a couple weeks ago, & it looks like a different phone compared to how it arrived here.
Stephen

JorgeAmely

Stephen:

I am "gray" with envy. Congratulations!

PS: Did you just polish it (no sanding required)?
Jorge