1957 Gray WE 500

[WEBellSystemChristian]

A we ek or so ago, I found a Gray 500 on eBay as a BiN listing. The seller clearly listed it as a soft plastic 500 from 1957, and after a couple quick glances at the pictures, I bought it. Everything matches to 8-57, exept for the '61 line cord and undated (not matching) transmitter cap.

Shortly after, I realized that Harry Smith had tried selling a 500 just like it in the classifieds section not long ago, before it went off to eBay. I revisited the topic again, and it seemed oddly similar to mine; same dial card, built same month and year (8-57), and a couple glued cracks that were in the same places. After a couple messages back and forth with him, we pretty much detirmined that it was his phone, everything was the same, right down to the same type of paper used to print the dial card! I figured the person who bought it from Harry resold it to make a profit. They didn't do a good job; they sold it for $20 lower than they bought it for!

I gave the plastics about an hour of extra time in bags with peroxide in my trusty UV box (Harry had already peroxided it, but I thought I would touch it up), wetsanded and polished the plastics, and added another dial card!

Harry, you did a great job cleaning this guy up! The pictures posted in Classifieds didn't do it justice!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231599411462

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13767

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Here are my "after" shots:

[HarrySmith]

Thanks Christian. Glad you ended up with it, looks great! Actually the seller paid $106.50 more than he sold it for!!

Here's my eBay sale: http://www.ebay.com/itm/291405890930

[WEBellSystemChristian]

WOW, it sold for that?!? I thought someone said it sold for $80!

I wonder why the seller sold it to me for that cheap?

[WesternElectricBen]

Nice work, I'm super envious!

Ben