Swirled white/black housing on a 500?

[McHeath]

Is this housing for real?  What do ye all make of this phone?
http://cgi.ebay.com/EOD-Western-Electric-500-Rotary-Dial-Telephone-RARE_W0QQitemZ350101816857QQihZ022QQcategoryZ38038QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[BDM]

I've never seen or heard of such a set. I'll be bold and say no. If someone claims it is, I need proof before I'd believe it.

Now, if you look carefully at the cradle area, it looks like it may have been painted.

[benhutcherson]

It looks painted to me. Notice the scratches on the right hand side beside the dial. The Western Electric marking also isn't as crisp as I am used to seeing or would expect, which leads me to think that it's been painted over.

Also, if WE had gone to the trouble of making up such a shell, I can't imagine them not also molding the insert inside the handle in the same pattern. Or, if not, I would have at least expected black(and a black handset), as they would match a little bit better than green.

[Dan/Panther]

I can't say positively, but I worked in the injection mold field for G/M, and when we would go from Black cases to white cases on the batteries, they would look exactly like that phone. I've looked very carefully at blow ups, and I can not see any marks that indicate to me that this is a paint job.
My opinion, if it's fake it's a good one, it appears authentic to me.

D/P

[BDM]

I just went through my books and some of the sites containing 500 series info. None even come close to making a hint at a set like this. Not only that, but it's just to wild for the era, and Ma Bell herself.

[bingster]

A paint job like this isn't too difficult to do--I remember doing this in art class in high school.  But I'm with Dan in that it appears to be swirled plastic.  The Bell System mark on the back of the phone shows tell-tale "ghosting" of the wording and the rectangle outline in the plastic, which wouldn't happen with paint, but would if the plastic were made that way. 

Now, whether or not this particular case was ever placed in regular service through normal channels is another matter entirely.  I just can't see it happening.  I'd say it's just as Dan said, and is a product of a color change on a factory line.   Only making a guess, but maybe the case was attractive to a worker on that line, and he took it home to replace the standard case on his own phone.

[McHeath]

Just noticed something.  Look at the picture of the base, you can see that the color pattern continues to the inside.  Proves only that maybe the paint job, if it is, was done to the whole shell, or maybe it is a very odd and rare mixture.  The colors are certainly odd as well, black, red, green and this white/black swirl.  And the old picture in the fingerwheel, it's like someone was having a good time making this thing up.

[Dan/Panther]

I've taken another look at these photos, and I agree with Bingster. I think some employee snuck that cover out from his third shift production job. We always made our mold, and color changes on third shift, it woiuld be very easy for an employee to sneak one out.
It appears as if it's parts from 4 different phones, if you include the line cord.
One more thing, the Base is 11/54, did they have that type handset in 54, the cord looks like the more modern semi square type, Not round.
The molded name tag area doesn't exhibit what you would expect from paint, it follows right through the 90 Degree angles, and doesn't distort, like a paint job would.
I still think factory, non production molded.
Basically worthless without all parts molded the same....just a novelty display.

D/P

[Dennis Markham]

I agree with those that say it appears to have been manufactured rather than painted.  However with that being said I have never seen one or heard anyone talk about one before.  I know that there are clear plastic cases out there and they bring a pretty penny.  There are also those than have been able to manufacture knock-offs of plastic cases.  But what I can tell from the photos is that the parts are not consistent as far as when they were made.  As mentioned earlier, the base is from 1954.  Look closely at the dial bezel.  Note that the slit in the ring provided for the finger stop is a narrow cut in the plastic.  That indicates the dial mechanism is at least a #8 or #9 dial, made much later than 1954.  Also in 1954 the finger wheel would not be a solid center finger wheel but a soft center with a celluloid disc to cover the dial card.  The handset reads Bell System Property Not For Sale.  The early handsets just said Western Electric - Bell System - G3.  That is a later handset, maybe late 1960's.  Also that cord is a replacement as evidenced by the tapered end that comes out of the handset.  Early colored handset cords have a short stubby end that exits the handset shell.

Maybe it was factory made but I doubt there was a production run of them or we would have seen one before.  A photo of the inside of the cover should show a production date stamped into the plastic.  If it IS a rare production phone the ending price will reflect that as those in the know will jump on it.  I'll ask around and see what the more experienced collectors have to say.  It has stimulated some discussion however.

[Dennis Markham]

I think Dan was on to something.  I ran this auction past my good friend Mark Scola who offered this information.  (Mark at one time worked for the Ford Motor Company when he references clearing the injection molds).

I was told almost 20 years ago that a bunch of phones were put together from the shells molded as the injection molding pipes were cleaned. I used to run a RIM press and the parts looked like this when we changed colors. We would run till a solid color emerged and scrapped the multi color parts.  A telephone collector  in Florida has several Trimlines like this but his are all swriley. 

So this may be the real deal.  Let's see how high the price goes on this one.  I'll give ten bucks for it.

Thanks to Mark Scola for his information on this "swirly" phone.

[Dan/Panther]

I would like to add, No way was this intended for theconsumer market, and it should be obviouis that at least 3 or 4 phones were used to put this monster together, So I shall from henceforth refer to it as a Frankenphone.......

D/P

[BDM]

Something else crossed my mind in relation to this thread. Independent telco's have been known to slap together some strange telephone combo's in the past. I've read stories from other collectors who've been involved with independent telco's.

Things like W.E. electric desk stands using other manufactures parts. Such as a W.E. D1 mount with a Stromberg-Carlson handset. Which I might add, is quite attractive. Not saying that's what happened here, it just had me thinking back about those types of phones.

BTW, when I say independent telco's, I mean phone service providers, not independent manufactures. These small ma & pa providers purchased there equipment from a variety of manufactures. They often assembled their own combo's.

[Bill Cahill]

   Well, to me, due to later age of some of the parts, I'd say someone cobbled that phone together.
Bill Cahill

[BDM]

As I stated Bill, that's not what I believed happened here.

[Dan/Panther]

Here is a nice label for it....

D/P