Color 202s, Continentals and Imperials

[poplar1]

The following colors were originally available for  102 and 202 hand telephone sets.

Color:                       Color code:
Black                           -3
Ivory                           -4
Gray                            -5
Old Brass                      -6
Statuary Bronze            -7
Oxidized Silver              -8
Medium Gold                -11
Dark Gold                    -12

For example, a 202B-7 would have a D1 hand set mounting with statuary bronze finish, 4HA-7 dial, E1B-7 handset, D4N-7 mounting cord.

(WE Catalog #9 c. 1930, 1935)

Later, 202s were remanufactured in the current 302 color palette. 302 colors in 1939 (Catalog #10) dropped -5 (Gray) and -11 (Medium Gold) from the 202 list, but added -16 thru -20. (The 202s and metal 302s may have had brown grooveless Bakelite handsets that were painted to match the phone.)

-4    Ivory
-6    Old Brass
-7    Statuary Bronze
-8    Oxidized Silver
-12  Dark Gold
-16  Old Rose
-18  Dark Blue
-19  Gray-Green
-20  Pekin Red

In the 1950s (1955-1956?), large quantities of remanufactured 202s were issued as "Imperials" and "Continentals." The Imperials have a metallic gold or silver finish, while the Continentals are (mostly?) Ivory, Gray-Green, and Pekin Red. (These used the available stock of black painted handsets--which were then painted to match the phone--or they used new ivory Tenite handsets.)

Finally, there were some 202s remanufactured in the then current 500 palette. I don't know how many of these have been found other than -53 red:

500 Colors c. 1954:

-50 Ivory
-51 Green
-52 Dark Gray
-53 Red
-54 Brown
-55 Dark Beige
-56 Yellow
-57 Dark Blue

The above info is based on sets found and available reference material. Any supporting or conflicting opinions are welcome.