Pre-war Western Electric ivory 302

[MMikeJBenN27]

Just bought a pre-war ivory 302 for my birthday present to myself.  It is in very good condition and works perfectly, except there is a "snap" when the starts moving and when it returns to rest.  I don't want to mess with it though.  I might screw it up, and I want to keep it all-original, except for the short line cord.

Mike

[FABphones]

Just bought a pre-war ivory 302 for my birthday present to myself.....
Mike

Sounds nice. Elusive in the EU but definitely on my 'would like' list. Well done and Happy Birthday.

We need photos!!!

[MMikeJBenN27]

I meant "When the dial starts moving and when it returns to rest".

[MMikeJBenN27]

Bought this PRE-war ivory 302 off of E-Bay.  It cost $350.00, shipping was $30.35.  I grabbed this because pre-war colored plastic 302s are super rare.  As you can see, it is correct in all details.  I replaced the cords because I need a longer line cord, and I want to use that AE Extensicord that I have had laying around.  I kept the originals.  The E-Bay item number was 174893458445, and the order number was 25-07473-81878.  My apologies, but I can't figure out how to use the "Find of the Month" form, and I don't remember how to copy a link.  I can fix cars and phones, but I am not much of a computer wiz.

Michael J. Benardo

eBay link: https://www.ebay.com/itm/174893458445

< edit 08-25-21 : images removed, rotated, reinserted.   Auction link added >

[Jim Stettler]

Here is some pre war 302 info:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=9804.msg104331



Here is an old post I made regarding pre war sets.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10088.msg107446

The only pre war info in the thread is copied below.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here is a post concerning pre war differences:

Here is some text I posted in March 2010:
In January I was corresponding with Jon Kolger about early 302's.
The following is a compilation of his e-mails on the subject:
________________________________________
Hi Jim,

Yes the handsets were completely solid.  I don't remember if the handsets
and caps were grooved... I don't have one in front of me to check it out.
All my examples are in storage.

There were other differences as well:  The handset cap threads were
different than the latter versions; the plastic used to make it was
different, much more opaque and not so translucent;  The hookswitch buttons
were the same color as the phone; the little finger cup piece underneath the
hookswitch was made of metal painted the same color as the phone; and the
dial, if it had one, had a completely different style of fingerwheel (much
thicker) and method of mounting it to the dial.  Also, the dial card had to
be inserted inside the fingerwheel AFTER the fingerwheel was attached.

I'm still looking for a blue example of these early 302s.  I have all the
other colors.

I just looked at a green 302 dated 1941 and it has a solid handset with no
grooves on the handle or caps.  I can't say definitively that they were all
this way, but I would say it is very likely.  I hope this helps...

The sets with the colored plungers were NOT the smaller plungers, just the
regular size plungers of the latter 302.  The dials were 5J with the white
painted housings.  I'm not sure when they started to make these early
colored sets.... Most of mine have a 1941 date, but I seem to recall having
one dated 1939.  I'm pretty sure I have a NOS 5J dial somewhere dated 1937.
I'm also not sure when when they started to make 302s again.  Dave Johnson
just stated 1945 on the listserv.  I don't know when they started to make
the colored sets... I've never paid that much attention to the dates on
mine... Probably early 50s.

Jon
________________________________________ _
I was waiting for the subject to come up, before posting the info.

Jim