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Who Amongst Us Has The Oldest 500?

Started by HobieSport, November 26, 2008, 09:53:35 PM

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What's your oldest mostly original 500?

I have a '49, but don't tell anyone.
1 (0.9%)
1950
12 (10.3%)
1951
20 (17.1%)
1952
25 (21.4%)
1953-1957
72 (61.5%)

Total Members Voted: 117

Dan/Panther

The network was by itself ?
I would have picked the owners brain, to try to obtain the name of the seller of the  phones parts, maybe the rest is out their waiting. Someone replaced a non working network, on a 49er, and it's waiting for you. that's the only reason I can think to find a lone network, it was replaced.
D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

Dan

#241
Check out this thread and you can see the 11-49 network

I got a 49er!!! (well, kind of)




http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4073.15
"Imagine how weird telephones would look if our ears weren't so close to our mouths." - Steven Wright

WEBellSystemChristian

#242
Quote from: Dan/Panther on November 27, 2008, 12:21:40 PM
I have a Black 7-54.
D/P
Five years ago, yes, but now you have beat all of us, with your field 500 :P
Christian Petterson

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

TelePlay

#243
Just joined the club, barely though.

Scored a mid '55 500 with matching dates and a straight line handset cord. There are no markings on the phone for field repair. Cloth feet need to be recovered.

Base - C/D 7/55 500
Network - 425B 7/55
Ringer - C4A - 6/55
Dial - 7D-3 7-55
Handset cord - 55
Handset - 7-55
Wall cord - 55
Plug - Brown - 283B
Receiver - 44A 7-1-55
Receiver Cap (320) - 7-55
Microphone - T1 7-5-55
Microphone cap (455) - 7-55
Housing - 6-29-55

The base and the bottom are in very good condition. The handset cord going into handset has been electrical taped. The number card holder is missing and the only rust on the phone is around the finger wheel nut. The plastic is in very good condition with no cracks and minor and limited scratches.

$10.50 as shown . . . , after first cleaning at the bottom of the photos.

Contempra

#244
Mine is a 1953 but the line cord isn't original to the phone and has a modern line cord... my other phones are in the 60's to 80's. ;)

MMikeJBenN27

#245
I have a 500T dated 5-52.  It has a 425A network dated 4-52, a C2A ringer dated 8-52, but a later 7D dial dated 9-53, which probably hurts it's value.  The shell is in good condition and is dated 5-1-52-3.  The G1 handset is dated 4-52, the receiver capsule is dated 4-29-52, the receiver cap is dated 5-52, the transmitter capsule is dated 4-52, but the transitter cap feels like an ABS replacement.  The cord is a later vinyl replacement.  Side tone is kind of loud, as this phone has no equalizer, like a 5302 with a G1 or G3 handset.  It is better with the G/F handset now attached it.  That handset has an HA1 receiver capsule dated 7-9-52-1 and an F1 transmitter capsule dated 10-4-50.  This handset also has a later replacement vinyl cord.  Both handsets are in good condition, but it is more pleasant to use with the G/F handset.

Scott

I picked this up at an antique mall recently. Some items are 1951, some late 1950. It looks like there is a plastic cover over the dial face numbers. I have never seen anything like that. This was also one of the cleanest older phones I have ever gotten. I didn't do anything with dial and it works perfect. There also wan't any of that funky stuff growing all over it because it is made of Tenite. Almost 70 years old and it is still a relevant communication device. You have got to love how these phones were made!

Scott K.

RotarDad

Wow, that is a real beauty!  Very hard to find them all original like that, and look at the shine on the handset.  That's one of the cleanest early 500s I've seen.  Must have been an extension phone and seldom used...  Great find!

It's pretty common to find earlier dates on the network and equalizer on the 1950 and 1951 sets.  I think WE built up a big stockpile of these parts in anticipation of the production ramp.
Paul

Scott

Thanks. I should have added it didn't come with that dial card and holder. I added those after I cleaned it up. It was a whopping $15.00 plus tax. Timing is everything sometime.

Scott K.

jsowers

Quote from: Scott on February 22, 2019, 08:34:23 PM
I picked this up at an antique mall recently. Some items are 1951, some late 1950. It looks like there is a plastic cover over the dial face numbers. I have never seen anything like that. This was also one of the cleanest older phones I have ever gotten. I didn't do anything with dial and it works perfect. There also wan't any of that funky stuff growing all over it because it is made of Tenite. Almost 70 years old and it is still a relevant communication device. You have got to love how these phones were made!

Scott K.
The plastic cover effect over the numbers is because the early dial faces were reverse painted on clear plastic. That stopped shortly after your phone was made and they went to the injection molded dial faces with two different colors of plastic. They used those same clear dial faces on clear sets and painted them gold with black letters for metallic gold sets. Quite an unusual feature, I think.
Jonathan

Scott

Thanks for that info jsowers. I wouldn't have expected that is the reason.

Scott K.

MMikeJBenN27

I have 2 500T sets, one dated 12-51, the other dated 5-52.  The 12-51 set has a GF handset with no Bell System markings on it, a correct C2A ringer dated 4-52, so it must be a replacement, but it does have it's original 7A dial assembly with it's unusual governor.  The 5-52 set has a replacement Stromberg-Carlson dial assembly.  Not a 7 series or 9 series, but the kind for the "cut corner" sets, with an adapter for WE style phones.

MMikeJBenN27

I just picked up an early 501 with the C3A ringer and the tube dated 2-51.  After some fiddling with the wiring, it looks and works flawlessly.

SUnset2

Here is my 1950.
The dates mostly match, except the handset cord has been replaced.  I need to find a straight cord for it.
Handset 12-50
Receiver element 12-19-50
Transmitter element 12-50
Caps unmarked.
425A Network 4-50
Ringer 12*-50
Case 12-19-50
Dial 12-50
Equalizer Nov 14 1950
Handset Cord II 63?

SUnset2

More Pictures.