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NOS 554...I blinked

Started by Pourme, June 12, 2018, 07:12:57 AM

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jsowers

Now we know who got this NOS white 554. He has it up for bids, trying to get $399 for it. Good luck with that!

https://www.ebay.com/itm/332711873351

Note in the fourth picture that the box from the original $75 auction has the same two creases in it (red arrows).
Jonathan

Pourme

I saw that and wondered if that was the same phone. I didn't do the detective work like you did.

Good eye!

And good luck to the seller, I guess.
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

RotarDad

Great observational skills, Jonathan!  Question:  Where did these 50s NOS phones come from?  There seem to be a fair number of early 554 and 500 boxed sets out there.  You would think all that inventory would have been cleaned up during the 60s and 70s before modular and touchtone  rendered them obsolete.  Were these simply overlooked in a warehouse, or did an employee take home a "momento" or ?
Paul

jsowers

Quote from: RotarDad on July 07, 2018, 10:27:53 AM
Great observational skills, Jonathan!  Question:  Where did these 50s NOS phones come from?  There seem to be a fair number of early 554 and 500 boxed sets out there.  You would think all that inventory would have been cleaned up during the 60s and 70s before modular and touchtone  rendered them obsolete.  Were these simply overlooked in a warehouse, or did an employee take home a "momento" or ?

I have absolutely no idea and wish I knew. For every one there's probably a different story. I remember liberating things from the trash buggy at work, but they were paper goods like books and accordian pleated file pockets. All equipment had to be auctioned at the school system. You would think the Baby Bells would have kept meticulous inventory records and yet most of these boxes don't seem to show any inventory markings. How does the story go? "It fell off the truck."

I already have a white NOS 554, but mine is from 1-59. I found a composite picture of Dennis Markham's white NOS 554 and it's from 12-57, the same as the subject phone, but his box isn't creased, so it's not the same phone (not that there's even the slightest chance it would be).

In my research I also ran across 16 auction bookmarks of NOS 554s from the 1950s, and they're in many different colors. Ivory, white, pink, yellow, green, light beige, light gray and even dark beige.

One curious thing about NOS 554s. The rubber bell mounts outgas and form brown stains on the inside of the housing, sometimes coming through to the outside on both sides. Light colored housings show this the most and mine has it. See the pictures below.
Jonathan

RotarDad

Great input, Jonathan.  I remember Jorge A. has a boxed NOS white soft plastic 500 with this same outgassing issue from the rubber ringer bushings.  Jorge can you confirm, sir?
Paul

WEBellSystemChristian

Why do "The Ones that Got Away" for us always have to be white Tenite? ::)

I also have a White 554 from '58 that I believe is NOS, but the box is missing. Absolutely no evidence of switchhook wear at all, and no scratches along the bottom of the housing from the transmitter cap rubbing against it while on hook. I forgot what I paid for it, but it was quite a few years ago, and I believe it was my first Tenite 554 in color.
Christian Petterson

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

Partyline4

#21
Nice detective work on that. Sounds like something I would snoop out, too.

Crazy what this fella gets for "restored" phones....