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1960 W.E. 554

Started by FABphones, June 12, 2019, 01:02:04 PM

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FABphones

This arrived today and I am really chuffed with it.

I already have a black W.E. 554 dated 1977 and wasn't intending to buy another, but when I saw the photo of this and looked at the fingerplate I thought it looked like metal and that there was a good chance it must be older than the one I have. There were no photos of rear of phone, but it wasn't expensive so I bought it. Price approximately $24 US/$31 CDN/£19, including shipping. From France.

As I removed the bubble wrap I was pleased to see a G1 handset and also that metal fingerplate. On the rear in red, 'A/B 554 3-60'. Not the 1950's I was hoping for but I'm still pleased.

The dial turns ok. No damage anyplace, just a sticky label to remove (for that I used Sunflower Oil) and now the label is off I can see 'Bell Systems made by Western Electric' is embossed on the phone - but inside a rectangle. On my other 554 it is inside an oval. I have no idea why the difference - it denotes an earlier shell?

I know virtually nothing about these phones but it is looking ok to me. Not converted to modular. Original handset cord?

Re dates, the endcaps as expected, were unbudgeable. I sprayed them with WD40 and left them awhile, they then removed nicely using a strap wrench. I've had this issue with other endcaps and this method usually works for me. After removal I could see both transmitter and receiver stamped with a date matching 2-19-60. I gave the endcaps/inner an anti-bac clean before replacing.

Right now I can't fathom out how to get the back off this phone. I'll do a CRPF search. As soon as I have the dates from inside will update with more photos.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
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FABphones

*It wasn't until after the label removal, and when I took the photo of the logo and zoomed in, that all these little bells became visible in the remaining adhesive. They were not on the label front so must have been part of the rear of label or embossed into the adhesive. Anyone seen that before?

(Shame it was on the front, if on the rear I could have kept it).
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

Ktownphoneco

Fab   ....   Nice find.     I'm always amazed at the telephones you find that originated in North America.    They must have escaped. ;D       To open up the case, lay the set on a flat surface facing up.   Take a look at the bottom of the set next to the ringer volume lever and where the handset cord exits.     You should see a metal tab just inside the opening.    Take a screw driver and place the blade against the metal tab and push inward while lifting up on the bottom of the case.    Once it releases from the base or steel back plate, remove the handset from the cradle is you haven't already done that, and with a free hand, pull down on the receiver hook or cradle until it stops, and continue to lift the case up to about a 45 degree angle from it's original position, and left the top of the case away from the steel back plate.     There's a metal tab on the back plate that inserts into a corresponding metal tab on the case.   That's basically the process.    Some cases are easier than others to remove the case. 

Jeff Lamb

RotarDad

Nice original 554 there!  As you know, the black versions continued in Tenite until about '65, unlike the color 500/554, which transitioned to ABS (hard plastic) during '59.

On the logo, you are correct.  The oval on both 500/554 was phased in over time in the late 60s/early 70's, so generally-speaking, square is older.  However, I have a '69 500 with the oval and a '71 554 shell still with the square, so they used both for a while.

To remove the cover, there is a metal latch at the bottom, where the handset cord exits.  You press the latch while lifting the shell off, bottom first, like a clamshell.  There is another latch at the top which holds the cover captive - as you life the bottom up a few inches, you will be able to slide the cover up (towards the top of the phone ), releasing the upper latch.  No tools required!
Paul

RB

That label with the bells, is a security label.
You cannot see whats behind until you peel it off, leaving the backing on the product.
the labels have slits in them, so if you try to remove it, it falls apart.
Those labels are quite popular now.

jsowers

That sticker is what I call the "divestiture sticker" that was mailed or handed to the customer when they bought their phone they had been leasing from the phone company. Most of these are dated 1982 or 1983 right before the divestiture of the Bell System at the end of 1983. They're not too important. Nice to have but not anything the phone came with, but it does show the phone was no longer leased. They had various things written on them as the model and a date when the phone was bought.

There's no decent place to put the sticker on a 554 that's mounted to the wall. Same for a 2554 touch tone model. So they put them wherever they wanted. Sometimes you find them on the bottom edge and sometimes on the side.  You did right by removing the one on this phone.

If you want a 554 from the 1950s, look for a couple things. The chrome switchhook will be a lot thicker and heavier and the ringer adjuster will be flat, without a bend in it. There will also not be any date on the back. Otherwise they look the same.

You will like this phone. I had one like it in my office at work for about three years from 1985-88 and I could always tell my phone ringing from everyone else's (they had AE 80s and 80Es). My grandmother had one on the wall in her kitchen for about 20 years. Nothing ever went wrong with it.
Jonathan

HarrySmith

Great find! You have pretty good luck finding US phones on that side of the pond. I have attached a picture with the release to open the case circled in Red. As previously stated just push in & lift. The Bell logos that appeared after you removed the sticker are a security thing, showing the label was removed so it cannot be reused. Just like our car registration stickers, if you peel one of those off the word VOID appears.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

andy1702

That's a nice phone you found there. I wonder how it ended up in France? I've found quite a few US phones in the UK, but when I wanted a 554 I had to import one from America.

One small thing nobody has mentioned yet... If you're converting for UK use don't fit a 3.3k ohm resistor. Some sites suggest this for US 5xx phones. But as they have a REN of 1 anyway it's not necessary. All a resistir is likely to do is make the bells too weak to ring properly. I know because I fell into this trap when I did mine!  :D I now just wire up the two line connections and don't bother with the bell wire for US phones.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

tubaman

Very nice phone and at a very nice price! Is it nice and stinky inside - my only Tenite 500 is (I call it 'character').
I want one now!!!
;D

twocvbloke

I never bother with conversion for my US phones, just add a line cable, if needed, and it works... :)

As for finding 554s on this side of the pond, I've noted that there are a number of Northern Electric/Northern Telecom versions for sale as these seem to have been used on Irish PTT phonelines, my black 2500 and 554 are both seemingly from Ireland, so makes it somewhat easy to find those particular models, so long as you don't mind them being Canadian... :)

Ktownphoneco

Yes, Northern built a production facility in Ireland.     We didn't mind Northern putting a plant in the U/K either.  :D

Jeff Lamb

FABphones

Thanks everyone for the info. I must have done this before with my other, but I just could not remember. It came off easily now you have helped.

Am stuck again though, how do I remove the fingerplate? I can see two little holes either side of the dialcard (the ring has a fair bit of gunk around it maybe I'm being too gentle).

I've done a CRPF search but couldn't find anything re this. Possibly my terminology wrong.
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

.....

Quote from: FABphones on June 13, 2019, 07:23:38 AM
Thanks everyone for the info. I must have done this before with my other, but I just could not remember. It came off easily now you have helped.

Am stuck again though, how do I remove the fingerplate? I can see two little holes either side of the dialcard (the ring has a fair bit of gunk around it maybe I'm being too gentle).

I've done a CRPF search but couldn't find anything re this. Possibly my terminology wrong.

Found this on youtube. Should help you.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpzxlxAdGhw

FABphones

The link is for a clear fingerplate, this one has the metal dialcard holder ring.
Thanks for the reply.  :)
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

jsowers

#14
Quote from: FABphones on June 13, 2019, 07:23:38 AM
I've done a CRPF search but couldn't find anything re this. Possibly my terminology wrong.
It's called a fingerwheel, FYI. A metal fingerwheel.

You just use a small screwdriver to push down the top clip on the number card retainer and pull toward you. I would put some tape on the tip of the screwdriver so the paint isn't scratched. Then you will see the nut that has to be removed to get off the fingerwheel.
Jonathan