Brown 500- can't make up my mind how much of a bargain I got??

[JubileeCompact]

Hey Guys me again...
Just did a BIN for $12 on this- It appears to be non modular but the base looks later than I would expect. Do I have an original Choc Brown or one of the 80s ones? any ideas?
Seamus
Oh and it cost $53 odd including international shipping with no customs surprises.....
Seamus

[G-Man]

Hey Guys me again...
Just did a BIN for $12 on this- It appears to be non modular but the base looks later than I would expect. Do I have an original Choc Brown or one of the 80s ones? any ideas?
Seamus
Oh and it cost $53 odd including international shipping with no customs surprises.....
Seamus

Hard to read the codes but it seems to have been manufactured in 1983.

It was not manufactured by Western Electric.

[Dennis Markham]

Your phone is NOT one of the coveted Mahogany brown phones.  The model that gets all the attention (and high prices) was manufactured by Western Electric beginning in 1954 through 1957.  One sign on yours is the dial mechanism.  Yours appears to be the #9 dial.  Also as you point out the base is much later.  Paul F has a time-line on model colors on his site (along with plenty of other information).  It can be seen here:

http://paul-f.com/we500typ.htm#Single_Line

Scroll down to the 500 colors.

Still, worth $12.  Unfortunately you have to pay much more to have it shipped to you.

[G-Man]

If I am seeing the codes correctly it is an ITT telephone-

500 - model
45   - colour- (choc. brown)
OBA – ringer (130-type straight-line) 
20    - feature (3-conductor line cord)
M   - metropolitan dial (letters and numerals)
II 83 – second quarter of 1983

[G-Man]

Correction-

The colour is (45) cocoa brown (not chocolate) and (20) should read feature (none- 3-conductor cord).

If I am seeing the codes correctly it is an ITT telephone-

500 - model
45   - colour- (choc. brown)
OBA – ringer (130-type straight-line) 
20    - feature (3-conductor line cord)
M   - metropolitan dial (letters and numerals)
II 83 – second quarter of 1983

[JubileeCompact]

I'm not altogether surprised I'm not usually that lucky lol. It looks decent enough for what I paid though :-). Looking forward to getting this and the 102
Seamus

[Jim Stettler]

The WE  Mahogany brown phones are a different shade of brown than the later brown Phones in low light they can be mistaken for black.

The Mahogany brown phones look very cool in person, a photo can't show how good they really look.
When you find one you will realize it before you even pick it up to verify the details.
JMO,
Jim

[JorgeAmely]

All the Mahogany colored phones are soft plastic. If it smells like cheese, you have the real stuff, otherwise, it is ABS. Most likely, there is a manufacturing stamp between the handset cradle visible from the back of the phone.

[TelePlay]

Your phone is NOT one of the coveted Mahogany brown phones.  The model that gets all the attention (and high prices) was manufactured by Western Electric beginning in 1954 through 1957.

And, for posterity, one of those coveted Mahogany brown's sold on eBay in October 2013 for $450 plus $25 shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221298867529

[Greg G.]

I have an actual Mahogany Brown 500 that I fought hard for in a bidding war, and it was in good, but not pristine, condition (some minor scratches and scuffs).  It was originally listed as a "maron" [sic] phone, I imagine because the auctioneer (Proxibid) only saw the photo which appears to be reddish.  With shipping it was about $100.  

$12 for your brown (probably ITT) phone is about right, so you didn't get skunked.

[JimHyak]

Sorry this is a bit off the topic, but G-Man, you seem to have a handle on ITT model numbers, is there a reference online somewhere?