Antique Store Find: Yellow 1956 WE 500

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Today I was in an antique store in downtown Milwaukee, which I haven't had great luck in the past with much related to phones. I decided to stop in today because a saw a WE Code-A-Phone sitting in there last time, and wondered if I would find anything else today phone-related (on a side note, how much should a '70s Code-A-Phone be worth?).

After looking at a '60s black 500 refurbed in '73, I turned around to see a yellow 500 with a funeral home sticker on it. Figuring it was also 1970s (had a solid-center fingerwheel), I flipped it over to check the date. "11-56" "Naw, that can't be right!" Then I saw the six-hole reciever cap...

The price was $25. SOLD!!!

Every date on this phone is 1956, and that includes both original yellow cords (these cords are the absolute opposite of flimsy!!!) There doesn't seem to be any fading, even on the cords! I am a very happy guy today!

[BDM]

Nice

[Kenton K]

AWESOME! Why do my antique stores have trash. The best deal I ever found was a $50 1982 2500 and 500. 

[jsowers]

Congratulations! Yellow isn't too easy to find, as some have already said in other posts. To me it has a luminous quality when you look at it in bright light, once it's cleaned up. The words "heavy duty" come to mind when looking at the cords of the 50s. You're lucky it still has good cords. This was the first year for yellow cords and they do fade lighter sometimes. I've also seen green flecks in old yellow cords, which may be the tinsel corroding.

Clean it up, take off the stickers and replace the fingerwheel and you'll have a great looking phone. Be sure to post some pictures after the cleanup.

[baldopeacock]

Nice score.  My yellow '55 has the gray handset cord.    The transition to color-matched cords must have been happening about the time yours was assembled.

[WesternElectricBen]

Nice find, I'm assuming your going to want to convert the dial back to soft center, I think the only thing you will need to change is a new finger stop.

Ben

[AE40FAN]

Congrats Christian!  I'm still on the hunt for one of these....

[JorgeAmely]

That is one very nice find. Congrats! Should be fairly easy to find a period correct finger wheel.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Thanks for the replies everyone! The main problem here was getting the sticker residue off the side of the housing and top of the handset. With a little bit of heat, both stickers came off with ease. The handset cord and transmitter cap were covered in ketchup and a sticky goo (probably soda) that came right off when the cords were put in the washing machine for a few minutes (the antique store owner admitted that the phone belonged to him, and he should have cleaned it off before he sold it!) I added a beautiful open center fingerwheel, and it's done! This is going right between my '56 green and '58 pink 500s on my phone shelf!

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Do you guys think this would make a good Find of the Month contender?

[WesternElectricBen]

Looks nice Christian, but it needs a cool extange/colored bell dial card.

Go ahead and post it on FOTM, it was a good deal.

Ben

[jsowers]

Definitely a find of the month. I agree that it needs a nice number card and it needs an acetate disk. I think I emailed you a yellow Bell logo card scan. Did you ever get it to print? That would look good here.