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WE 1500 find!

Started by Pourme, September 13, 2017, 04:52:34 PM

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Pourme

I had just commented on this forum that you don't often find good buys on phones in this part of the country. Today was the exception! Today I was in Blowing Rock (NC) for other reasons and went into a antique store I have never visited and I saw it from halfway across the building. I just knew It would be overpriced. As I picked it up I grabbed the price tag and it was $15.00! I had to make a effort not to shout out loud! I took it to the check out before anyone noticed or could change the price. I did shout when I got in the truck.

It is the earlier one with the black front with the enclosed number card. All dates match on or about 12/65 with the exception of the 3/67 touch pad that looks to have been replaced, tale tale vermilion ink, dated "R1067". Handset cord dated '65 the line cord reads "6 " The second date digit being blank, odd?

The receiver cap is cracked. It don't look to be impact, just age? If you have a spare one, I'm interested. There is some color variation in the handset, see pics. You can't feel it to the touch, it won't clean off. It almost looks like some lighter color got into the green raw material and got molded into the color.

It needs a good cleaning, de-stickering and some sanding/polishing. Guess I know what I will be doing in my spare time over the next few days!

Today I WAS the blind dog that got the bone!
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

More pics...
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

two more...These two and the last one show the odd lighter color mixed in the green color, look closely, that's not a glare.
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

shortrackskater

That looks great! I love the color too.
Was this the first year they made touch tones desk phones? I'm not knowledgable on these!
Mark J.

Pourme

Quote from: shortrackskater on September 13, 2017, 07:00:13 PM
That looks great! I love the color too.
Was this the first year they made touch tones desk phones? I'm not knowledgable on these!

Good question...I don't know either. Perhaps someone will comment and let us know. BTW, thanks!
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

Update:

I couldn't stop cleaning on this phone. I have decided not to sand on it. There are a few scratches on the front panel and on the flat space close to the hand set. The fading is barely noticeable. I polished it with Novus 3 & 2, cleaned the cords (still some paint on the line cord). It polished up NICELY! It's nice working on a phone that's ONLY 52 years old. I will remove what's left of the sticker on the base. The sticker on the rear, I will leave on, it is part of the history of the phone and was added by Bell.

As mentioned above by shortrackskater, what was the first year these were made?

Benny
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

cihensley@aol.com

Pourme - I have a spare complete green handset you can have. If you want, send me your address.

Chuck

Jim Stettler

#7
ISTR that you can find the 10 button sets as early as 1964. The faceplate is "backpainted"  "Charcoal Gray"  which is a early  faceplate , later they backpainted
faceplates with matching colors.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I saw my first green 10 button set in 1966. It was paired with a green 500 and a Teletrainer. I was in Kindergarten.
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

jsowers

Benny, I see two different phone numbers on that phone. One is from Charlotte (704-366) and one is from Salisbury (704-633). It could be from both places, I suppose. My aunt who died last year at 99 had the same 633 phone number in Salisbury, NC for 60 years! MElrose is what it was in the 1950s.

1964 is about the earliest date found on these. Paul's site says 1963, but I've never seen one from that year. That sticker on the back is very odd since it wasn't filled out. Usually that was filled out at the phone company and sent to the person when the phone was bought (as opposed to leased) and they stuck it on the bottom. I like to call it a divestiture sticker since that happened around the time the Bell System had to divest its holdings, which was 1983-84.

That white swirl must be plastic that got contaminated at the plant when the handset was molded. Maybe it was the first one molded after a bunch of white ones and a speck of white got in the green? Definitely a curiosity.

$15 is a good price and this needs to be on Find of the Month. They are still out there waiting for us to find them. Congratulations!
Jonathan

.....

What a great find. That is a Find of the Month for sure.

Pourme

Jonathan,
Good catch, the phone number card had one phone number on each side. I switched it to the one that looked the best. someone put tape on it which has since yellowed and on this side the yellowing wasn't on the number it's self. The sticker that was on the handset which I removed was from McEuan Funeral home in Charlotte. We are about a hour from Charlotte so that is common.

I thought it was odd to both have the sticker on the case rather than the bottom, and it not being filled out as well. I thought it best not to remove it. This phone served someone for many years.

I have only seen the swirl like that on photos of phones, I have never seen one let alone owned one. So that makes this phone more interesting as well. This phone has several oddities about it when examined closely.

At my age, few things give me the instant thrill as turning over the price tag and seeing $15.00 written on it did!...Ha!

Benny
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

AL_as_needed

Very nice find! Not a huge fan of the touch-tone era phones, but that is a very clean and complete early example. Nice  8)
TWinbrook7

Pourme

Quote from: AL_as_needed on September 14, 2017, 07:47:28 PM
Very nice find! Not a huge fan of the touch-tone era phones, but that is a very clean and complete early example. Nice  8)

Thanks Al...I lucked up...
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

oldguy

Really great find Benny & the price is amazing. I agree, find of the month.
Gary

Pourme

Quote from: oldguy on September 14, 2017, 10:43:19 PM
Really great find Benny & the price is amazing. I agree, find of the month.

That means a lot coming from the reigning FOM winner!

I'll give it another shot!
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service