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Two-Tone Colored WECo 500 Telephones

Started by Jester, February 28, 2010, 11:48:47 PM

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WEBellSystemChristian

It looks like an orange ITT or Stromberg-Carlson 500 shell and handset caps that were put on a Northern Electric black 500 chassis. Definitely not original, but a lot of phones are customized this way.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

andre_janew

Here are a few pictures of a beige and black phone I picked up at a yard sale recently for $5.  Notice the 10-80 sticker on the bottom.  Yes, it is a modular phone.

TelePlay

What are the dates inside, the housing, ringer, dial, handset, elements, cord restraints, etc. That 10-80 looks like a refurb date sticker.

WEBellSystemChristian

It looks like it was a late-fifties to early sixties WE 500 chassis with the original dial, and then it was converted to modular (with a new housing, cords, and handset) in October, 1980.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

andre_janew

I haven't checked the dates inside yet, but I think Christian could be right!

andre_janew


WEBellSystemChristian

#156
I just finished up a project (one of many) that I've been working on for the past few months now. It's a 1954 500 with a black dial and handset, and a soft plastic ivory housing that was covered in paint. The paint was factory-done, but it wasn't Polane, so it was removable with Easy Off.

Only problem is, the paint didn't come off as easily as I thought it would. It took me several months (on and off) to remove the paint! What I ended up with was a housing that had a leathery, snakeskin-looking finish to it; the EasyOff had actually carved tiny 'veins' all over the finish!!! Layers of plastic were also peeling off all over the place, it was a mess! After I got all of the paint off, I pretty much gave up on the project, and tossed the housing into my parts stash. Only recently, after reading up on this thread, I had the inspiration to revive the project.

It took me most of the weekend and a huge chunk of the week after school to sand the housing down with 180 grit sandpaper, followed by 400, 2000, and then compound. The results are better than I had hoped for!

Most of the parts dates on this are from around late 1953 to mid-'54. I'm not sure about the housing date, because it was covered in overspray, and when I tried removing the paint, the stamp must have come off with it! I know for a fact that it's soft plastic (strong smell, dull thud when I tap on it), I just don't know if it's from '54 or not. Nonetheless, I'm proud of myself for finally getting this done!
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Kenton K

Looks good! What date is the shell?

KK

WEBellSystemChristian

Quote from: Kenton K on April 01, 2015, 08:15:11 PM
Looks good! What date is the shell?

KK
Thanks!

I wish I knew. Paint covered the original date, and whenever I try to remove the paint, the stamp must come off with the paint. For now, I'm just assuming it's an original '54, although I have no evidence behind that.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WEBellSystemChristian

Here's what it looked like after EasyOff. You can see some flaking plastic on the rear of the cradle.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

poplar1

#160
Here's one 500DR-53 that left the factory -- or at least the distributing house -- as a true red two-tone.
The color code -53A is marked on the base!

Is it possible that in 1953, the only "color" 500s were these two-tone ivory (-50A), green (-51A), gray (-52A) and red (-53A)?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VINTAGE-TWO-TONE-RED-BLACK-BELL-500-ROTARY-DIAL-DESK-PHONE-TELEPHONE-/231617849924

(Click on "see original listing" to see additional photos.) Sold for $588.88.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

TelePlay

Quote from: poplar1 on July 20, 2015, 06:48:22 AM
Sold for $588.88.

And another example of a high value phone listed at $15 in a10 day auction rising to only $37 in 9 days before dramatically rising to $600 in the last 10 seconds of the auction.

unbeldi

#162
Quote from: poplar1 on July 20, 2015, 06:48:22 AM
Is it possible that in 1953, the only "color" 500s were these two-tone ivory (-50A), green (-51A), gray (-52A) and red (-53A)?


Seems like a distinct possibility.
Swap in a new housing on top of those black sets and add that stamp (—53A).
Prompto, there is a "color" phone, like a 10-minute oil change.

I still don't believe they actually installed any in 1953.  This is stamped Dec, so not likely that it got installed that month.

andre_janew

At the earliest, it probably got installed in January of 1954.

Jim Stettler

After they were able to produce the full range of colored sets, they quit making two-tone sets. The 2-tones  were still offered but the installer was to order the proper color housing and swap it onto a black set and send the black housing back to the  storeroom (per a BSP).

So if all the dates on your 2-tone match (except for housing) there is a good chance it is official. I  suspect that the colored housing may have an earlier date stamp from the current black set. Current (date) colored housings probably ran off the line as complete colored phones, whereas a colored housing that was ordered probably came out of warehouse stock.


Just a few thoughts,
Jim S.
Early colored sets with black dials are NOT 2 tone, they were current production colored sets.
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You die, you forget it all.