Gray cords: Straight vs. coiled

[Dennis Markham]

What a beautiful collection of Model 500's, Jorge!  A very nice arrangement and description of each.  The matching straight handset cords are very rare and great additions to your collection.  Thanks for posting them!

[Jester]

Since this thread began with Ben's straight corded red 500, I thought this newest addition would be at home here.  Alas, this black dialed phone had a gray spring cord when I got it on Christmas Eve, and the original gray mounting cord was also gone.  It was replaced with a 25' black cord that had the crimp off the original cord installed on it!  Anyway, it is a VERY early set, with most dates from 10/54 & 11/54.  Because of this, there are some curious details(to me, at least) that I will post pics. of next.

[Jester]

The following shots show the more unusual details of this 500.  Again, I think most are because it is so old, but I haven't seen or heard of another "virgin" colored set with these features.  If you have, please enlighten me(and post pictures ).

1)  Inside shot, showing date on network--note it is a month earlier than base.  This may not be uncommon, but seems to me to be unusual by this late in regular 500 production.

2)  Dial mount--this is the only color set I own with the three leg mount.  Dial is the standard 7D-3, dated 11/54.

3)  Ringer mounting screws are the older type with button heads.  The only other sets I've seen these used on are my 12/50 500 & a 500 A/B from '52.

4)  Shot of the bottom of base.

[McHeath]

Love the phone.  Strange details you note and I simply don't have the knowledge of the early color sets to say much about them.  Were handsets done in both black and the shell color on these early color 500s?

[Jester]

From what I've read, McHeath, that is right for the date this phone was made.  Jim Stettler & Jonathan Sowers have both mentioned "two-tone" and "black dial" 500s as being seperate offerings in the color line, and, as I understand it,  they were both offered concurrently with the full color sets(once full color was possible--excluding cords) through at least 1956.

[AET]

Was this an ebay find? I recall getting outbid on one of these recently.

[Jester]

Yes, it was, Tom.  Sorry 'bout that!

[AET]

Ha, no worries.  I got WAY outbid, and that is the way it goes on eBay.

[Dennis Markham]

Stephen, great telephone!  The straight gray cord really adds to the looks.  Is the ringer a C4A ringer?  I have a two tone (black dial and black G1 handset) dated 12/54 that I believe is original except for the replacement handset and mounting cord.  The red housing is dated 10/54.   The bottom is 12/54 but the network, like yours is dated 11/54.  The dial has the color suffix of -3.  I have since put a black straight handset cord on it to replace the coiled replacement cord that was on it when I got it.  My ringer has the rounded screws, dated 11-54.

I had been told that the color suffix on the two tone phones were made with a -3 dial as that number indicated the color of the dial bezel.  But I have since read, I believe on Paul F's site that those phones that were factory assembled had a designation of the letter A on the back of the dial. I have tried to find that again now and can't locate it.  I did look at some postings from the ATCA and found a discussion where the BSP was listed for two tone sets, but this one is dated from 1955.  (BSP C30.011).  I don't have copies of the BSP's but this may be available on the TCI technical site.


Some two-tone sets were put together by the local Telco.  Both of my two tone sets (black/red and black/ivory) are marked -3.  The Black/Ivory is dated 2/54 and has a 7A dial.

These photos were taken before I cleaned it.  I was showing the network date vs the bottom date and also the dial date with the 3 point mount.

[Jester]

Dennis,
Thanks for the info. & the pictures.  I figured you would have seen a colored set with the three point mount.  My ringer is a C4A.  This one was alot of fun to clean up & wonder about.

[Dennis Markham]

Your phone is very nice.  It would look good on any shelf for sure!  I like the red handset rather than the black on them.  It would be fun to get one in all of those original colors. 

[foots]

     Wow, there's some nice phones in this post. I'd love to find a set or two with straight handset cords, especially an all black 500. I've also learned something new thanks to the old ad Mr. jsowers posted. Before I had never seen a key set with a straight cord.

[HobieSport]

I'd love to find a set or two with straight handset cords, especially an all black 500. I've also learned something new thanks to the old ad Mr. jsowers posted. Before I had never seen a key set with a straight cord.

Darn it, Foots, I'm feeling guilty, (I'll get over it, no worries ) because I only have one black 500 straight cord phone, and you know that I'm looking for a 1950s black 500 in my collection for you, (leather feet, bakelite handset) but this particular phone is one of my keepers, as I think it's the only straight cord 500 that I have. It's a 7-55, so maybe it's also Dennis' birthday? Anyway, I just can't part with this one. But be encouraged, as I got it cheap on Ebay, and they're probably out there in droves, often inexpensively, and the straight cords ought to be easy to spot on Ebay thumbnail photos, eh?

Meanwhile, I'll be repacking all my phones fairly soon, so I'll keep my eyes out for a black 500 for you, with leather feet and bakelite handset. But if I do have a good one like that for you (no promises mind you, as I'm really not sure what phones I might have stowed away) it will most likely be a coiled cord.

[AET]

You know, I was watching Anchorman and he was on the phone at a bar (for anyone who's seen the movie) and I noticed last nite that he was talking on a straight-cord black 500.

[jsowers]

Stephen, the black dial is correct for this red phone, and it's a beauty. I think the stamping on the dial is usually -3 for black, but I'm positive red phones in 1954 had black dials, according to all the ads and catalogs I've seen. So did dark blue, dark gray, and yellow. All of those colors also had dark gray cords attached, but over the years, as with yours, they may have been changed for something else that either matched better or made it more convenient for the user. You've restored it nicely.

The three-point dial mount is also consistent with 1954 phones. And I've seen a few phones with base of one month and network of another, but they're usually consecutive months like this one.

One thing your red phone isn't--it's not a two-tone. They just didn't have the technology yet to do all the dial faces in matching colors at the first, or that's my supposition. Long about 1955, maybe in the spring, the dials all started to match. It was probably a gradual thing. So the color phones from 1953-early 55 with the black dials are among the scarcest color phones, and are also the earliest. So few were installed and fewer yet survive. And I have to be sure and state that green, ivory, mahogany brown and dark beige all came with MATCHING color dials from the outset.

Good luck finding the rest of what I like to call "black dial models." You're going to need it! I only have two of them, a red like yours and a dark gray one. That yellow one is REALLY hard to find. I attached a scan of a 1954 ad with all the colors pictured that probably says it better than I ever could. The bottom colors are, left to right, dark gray, dark beige, red and ivory. Note that ivory also has a matching cord, and they continue this odd method of sending the straight cord behind the phone and not into the hole in the side.