9-55 Red 500

[tell302man]

Bought this today for 22 dollars. I passed on it last weekend and decided to see if it was still there. Lucky for me it was because it is really a great phone. Did these early 500s come with a gray cord?

[Pourme]

Some did come with a grey cord, I recall that discussion on another thread not long ago.

That was a excellent buy!....Great find!

[TelePlay]

Some did come with a grey cord, I recall that discussion on another thread not long ago.

That was a excellent buy!....Great find!

A straight handset and line gray cords were the first used on colored sets. You have an early set there others can more fully discuss. Gray straight cords on auction contest phones always increased the value of the phone.

The base and feet are in great condition. That could be a find of the month phone, need more photos and dates to see if it is.

[podor]

Awesome find! So the dates match throughout the phone?

[unbeldi]

I can't tell the cord color too well, seems like it is red, not?

By August or September 1955, most red sets were probably already equipped with the matching red cords from the factory. The straight cord was still the standard, coiled cord optional.  The straight H4BG cord is a nice find, either in gray or red.
What are the dates on the cord fasteners?

Looks like your set came from Salem, VA.  today in NPA 540, close to Roanoke.

[tell302man]

Yes the cord is gray! It is in excellent condition and I did buy it in Salem Virginia.

[tell302man]

Yes it is dated 9-55!

[unbeldi]

Yes it is dated 9-55!

Ok, thanks for clarifying the color. On your bottom-up picture, the cord coming out of the cord exit looks as red as it could be.

Look at the date stamped into the brass cord restraints, the date there should be in quarter-year format, not month-year, the year is on both sides of the crimp seem 5|5.

It may say something like this:

H4BG
III 5|5

A matching date should tell you with high likelihood that the cord was affixed at the factory.

[unbeldi]

Here is your lovely central office:
SALMVASA, 10 S Market St Salem, VA

Today it serves the exchanges 375, 378, 387, 389, 986 in area code 540

NPA 703 was first split to 804 in 1973, then in 1995, 540 was split off.
Here is the area code history of Virginia:

1947     1973    1995 1996     2000 2001
|        |       |    |        |    |


703______703_____703___________[703,571]________
         |       |         
         |       |       
         |       540________________540_________
         |                          |
         |                          |
         |                          276_________
         |
         |
         804__________804___________804_________
                      |             |
                      |             |
                      |             434_________
                      |
                      757_______________________



I haven't update this in a while, perhaps there are some overlays in very recent years.

[tell302man]

Thanks for the info! I think the red you see is in the carpet haha!

[unbeldi]

Thanks for the info! I think the red you see is in the carpet haha!

Just looking again, I now realize I saw an edge of the handset.
As I said, red or gray straight cord is very desirable.
In fact, I'd say straight red would be more so, because the red phones were the only ones that had red cords, gray was shared by a few others.

[jsowers]

Bought this today for 22 dollars. I passed on it last weekend and decided to see if it was still there. Lucky for me it was because it is really a great phone. Did these early 500s come with a gray cord?

Yes, the 9-55 red phones came with dark gray cords. Here's a recent auction for a red 501 from 9-55 with a dark gray handset cord. It's coiled instead of straight, but it's dark gray. As John (Teleplay) says, the straight cord is more valuable.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/222218652356

Red straight cords didn't come along until 1956 and were gone by 1957, or at least all I've seen have been from 1956. You got a very good buy and it even came with the dark gray mounting cord. That area code stick-on is also nice to have. Those were issued a bit later when you were able to direct-dial long distance calls. They were stuck onto the acetate disk and it's amazing how many are still stuck on all these years later.

[LarryInMichigan]

Great find!  That phone is worth at least several times what you paid.

Larry

[Pourme]

Encouraging to see a find like this....gives hope to the rest of us that they are still out there....good for you!

[poplar1]

The screw is present for the cold cathode tube in your 501. Also, there appears to be another marking (date?) in vermilion on the base. Can you verify?