News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Look at What I Found This Morning

Started by LarryInMichigan, May 09, 2014, 12:18:55 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

LarryInMichigan

The weather is nice here this morning, so I decided to ride a bicycle to an estate sale about two miles from my house.  The online listing showed a black 302 and a pre-1920 small Westinghouse fan which I wanted.  When I entered the basement of the house, I immediately saw the 302.  It was nothing special, but the dial, including card, was in nice shape, and it was $15, so I grabbed it.  The Westinghouse fan was already gone.  I walked around the basement a bit more and spotted another dirty phone and couldn't believe what I saw.  It was also marked $15, so I grabbed it and kept looking over my shoulders until after I had paid for it.

It is a very dirty and somewhat scratched red WE 500U dated 12-58 on the bottom.  I haven't dismantled it yet, but it is all soft plastic.  The line cord is long and (formerly) white or ivory, but extremely dirty.  The phone is going to need a thorough cleaning and polishing and probably some sanding, but who could pass on one of these?

Larry

tell302man

WOW!!! I have always wanted one and never seen one in person! Lucky and a GREAT find!!!!

Sargeguy

Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

jsowers

Wow, Larry, that's a May Find of the Month for sure! Mushroom phones are particularly rare in red. Much more common in pink and black. It's a keeper, or it would be if I found it. Congratulations! Are you going to fix it up? A red 4-conductor mounting cord might be a little hard to find.
Jonathan

LarryInMichigan

The phone will need a red line cord.  The white one which was on it is only three conductor.  I gave the shell a quick cleaning and was disappointed to find that the dirt was hiding alot of scratches.  It looks like someone used steel wool on parts of the shell, so a large amount of sanding will be necessary.

The dates on everything but the line cord and transmitter match!

Larry

Greg G.

It's my day off, I'm going to log out and go find some estate sales!
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

AE40FAN

Larry,

Even with the scratches I'm pretty sure It's worth 20 times what you paid!   Awesome find.   Red is my favorite color.  Find of the month contender for sure.  Lucky guy 8)

-Frank

dsk

#7
I'm not motivated to move to the USA, but it is definitely a friendly climate for telephone collectors  :)
Really a great find!

dsk

Matilo Telephones

Groeten,

Arwin

Check out my telephone website: http://www.matilo.eu/?lang=en

And I am on facebook too: www.facebook.com/matilosvintagetelephones

Gilas

Amazing phone!  Congrats and can't wait to see updates. Well done and sure to be the find of the month!!!

persido

Wow congrats.....that's one heck of a find.

Scot


paul-f

Very nice!

One good thing about soft plastic is that it is, well, soft.  The scratches should come out nicely.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

.

LarryInMichigan

I opened the 302 from the estate sale.  It has a considerable amount of rust in places.  The two rear feet are partly rusted away, and the dial does not pulse, probably because of rusty parts.  Everything seems to be dated 10-45 or so.  The shell has the date stamped in ink on the inside.  The ringer has the war-time steel gongs.  The coil is a 101-B, and there are extra contacts next to it, so I guess that this is actually a 394.  I didn't think that the phone had a line cord when I bought it, but when I opened it, I found the cord inside.  Whoever lived in the house may have worked for the phone company.  There were a number of phone items in the house.  Here is a picture showing the 304 from the estate sale listing.

Larry

poplar1

Is the handset handle solid or hollow? Is the handle dated at the top (something like 105 for 10/45).  I'm trying to update the date range chart.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.