Look at this brown WE 500 .....

[LoveOldPhones]

I just saw this on eBay...  with a black dial ?  did they make them like this.... or is this someone's creation ?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Telephone-Western-Electric-Bell-Phone-1950s-Brown-591-A-B-G3-Untested-/112311467049

[WEBellSystemChristian]

That's pretty interesting.

It looks like it's a 591, which was sold to independent telephone companies. Since the dial is mismatched, I would guess that it had...

..sniff...

...a dial blank!

Either that or the dial mech was getting slow, so someone just changed out the entire dial. The original handset cord was probably cut or broken, and that would explain the replaced black cord.

[poplar1]

"Full color" 500s had matching G3 handsets from the start (1954).
Brown 500s always had brown cords and either brown dial number plate or brown apparatus blank.

[andre_janew]

Really?  I thought all the early color sets had gray cords and black dials.  Also, shouldn't the handset cord be straight?

[poplar1]

Really?  I thought all the early color sets had gray cords and black dials.  Also, shouldn't the handset cord be straight?

The black dial and black handset cord are not original to this phone.
Here is a page from a Dec., 1953 BSP posted by Jim S. here:
 http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1886.msg26922#msg26922

[andre_janew]

So the brown sets did have matching cords and dials after all!  Shouldn't this phone have a straight handset cord? 

[Jim Stettler]

I think the straight cords were a when-and-where situation. Some areas had them at a specific point in time (maybe a test market?) That is why "matching "straight cords are cooler than straight gray cords which are ultra cool on early colored 500's.  Someone might want to build a database on the "known" straight 500 handset cord dates  on early colored 500 sets.
Vern P. Used to have at least 1.

JMO,
Jim S.

[poplar1]

So the brown sets did have matching cords and dials after all!  Shouldn't this phone have a straight handset cord? 

Both types were available when this phone was manufactured (9/55).
H4BG (straight)  --3 (black), --50 (ivory), --52 (gray), --54 (brown)
H4BH (retractile) Color codes --50, --52, and --54

TCI Library: (C36.101 issue 13, May, 1955) Table on Page 2: Handset Cords

Also, C32.535 was revised (Issue 5) in May, 1955 to include color 500s:

                   2.11  Cords:  Neoprene or vinyl-jacketed handset and mount-
                        ing cords are used with 500- and 501 type sets. The
            handset cords contain four conductors. The mounting cords
            have three conductors, except those for the 500H and 500P (six
            conductors) and those for the 500L/M (four conductors.)  All
            3- and 4-conductor cords are available in the retractile type,
            which is only installed when authorized by a service order or
            other local instruction.