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VINTAGE AUQA BLUE ITT MODEL 500 DESK TELEPHONE ROTARY

Started by Doug Rose, December 06, 2010, 09:15:50 AM

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Doug Rose

I just happend to be on eBay when this was posted for a BIN for $9.95! Yes, $9.95 I don't collect 500 sets, but I really couldn't pass this up for under $20 delivered. Is this a 591?? I seem to remember 591s came without a ringer and the local telco installed one.....thanks....Doug

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rt=nc&nma=true&item=130462268658&si=w3%252FjHMD0GdOtKZOKnAPX6GIPcw8%253D&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT
( dead link 10-19-21 )
Kidphone

baldopeacock

At least it used to be that 591s didn't have the "Bell System Property, Not for Sale" in the case and handset embosses.   That could be a clue, if they were still doing that by '73.

Dennis Markham

That was quite a bargain.  The plastic appears to be in great shape.  I'm a little confused because eBay shows you as the seller, Doug.  

Doug Rose

Dennis....look closely....we are jflowres...seller is flowers-243......Maybe now I am collecting at least one 500 set.....Doug
Kidphone

Dennis Markham

Doug, I can't believe I didn't notice those differences in the name.  Guess I looked too fast.  What are the odds?  You can re-list that and have no problem getting a good return should you decide not to keep it.

jsowers

This is an ITT, according to the auction title, and not a WE, and it says 500 on the bottom, so it wouldn't be a 591. It's most likely an ITT 500 from 4-73 and someone's removed the ringer or it never had one. It may have had a party line ringer and it got removed because it didn't work. It's still in nice shape and has all its cords. Definitely worth the price. Welcome to the world of the 500 set, Doug. It's a biggun!

FYI, I think what WE 591s didn't say was "Bell System." I think they had been discontinued by the time around 1968 or 69 when "not for sale" was added. All the 591s I've ever seen have been from the late 50s and early 60s. Paul's site doesn't have any dates for them. I think before they became ITT, Kellogg did make some 591s too, around the same time as WE. But that was 10 years before this aqua blue phone was made.
Jonathan

Doug Rose

thanks Jonathan....I don't think my wife will take too kindly to me starting to collect 500 sets. This might just be a one and done....Doug
Kidphone

Adam

Actually, this set is kind of the ITT equivalent of a WE 591, as we can see from its model number that it did not come with a ringer from the factory:

500 12 LR 30M

500 - 500 desk set
12 - Color (Aqua Blue)
LR - LESS RINGER *
30 - No special feature **
M - Metropolitan Dial ***

* Other values in this place in the model number could be:

BA - Straight Line ringer
WA1, WB2, WC3 - Many different values for various Frequency Ringers

** Other values could be (among others):

33 - Lift to talk
34 - Pushbutton Ground
37 - Message Waiting
44 - A-Lead Control

*** Metropolitan Dial: Numbers and Letters.  Could also be R, for Regular Dial (numbers only) or N for no dial manual phone.

ITT set model numbers ROCK!
Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

Dennis Markham

Great info Dave.  If you don't mind, I'll post that information in the Technical Stuff section.  It isn't really technical, but will fit in there.


cchaven

That's a really pretty blue..I like that color. I think the aqua is a nicer looking color than the torquoise.

Jeff

jsowers

Dave, that is wonderful information to have about the ITT set model numbers. I've never seen ITT codes explained before and you explained them really well. Are there codes for all the different colors? Somewhere I have an ITT manual from the 1960s or 70s that may tell that. But if you have it at the ready, please let us know.
Jonathan

Adam

All of this info comes from the ITT Telephone Instrument Maintenance Manual (TIMM) of which I own three different copies from different years.

Here are the ITT color codes listed in 1964:

00 - Black
02 - Red
04 - Yellow
05 - Green
09 - Ivory
11 - Rose Pink
12 - Aqua Blue
13 - Light Beige
14 - Light Gray
15 - White
16 - Sea Green

My 1970 TIMM-2 adds:

30 - Turquoise

And here is the much changed list from my 1975 TIMM-2:

00 - Black
05 - Moss Green
09 - Ivory
12 - Aqua Blue
13 - Beige
15 - White
43 - Burnt Orange
44 - Light Ash
45 - Cocoa Brown
46 - Harvest Gold
47 - Cherry Red

What I find most fascinating about this is that at some point in the early 70's, ITT stopped making "02 Red", which I assume was darker like Western Electric 53 Red and Stromberg Carlson Red, and started making "47 Cherry Red", which is a brighter red.

Adam Forrest
Los Angeles Telephone - A proud part of the global C*Net System
C*Net 1-383-4820

jsowers

That is interesting and valuable info, Dave. Thank you for listing the ITT colors and their codes. I need to look my ITT TIMM up. It's from 1968 or 69. I remember it had 10-button touch-tone phones in it, along with the 12-button. If I find it, I'll post any color differences here.
Jonathan

Doug Rose

Quote from: masstel on December 06, 2010, 02:31:14 PM
Actually, this set is kind of the ITT equivalent of a WE 591, as we can see from its model number that it did not come with a ringer from the factory:

500 12 LR 30M

500 - 500 desk set
12 - Color (Aqua Blue)
LR - LESS RINGER *
30 - No special feature **
M - Metropolitan Dial ***

* Other values in this place in the model number could be:

BA - Straight Line ringer
WA1, WB2, WC3 - Many different values for various Frequency Ringers

** Other values could be (among others):

33 - Lift to talk
34 - Pushbutton Ground
37 - Message Waiting
44 - A-Lead Control

*** Metropolitan Dial: Numbers and Letters.  Could also be R, for Regular Dial (numbers only) or N for no dial manual phone.

ITT set model numbers ROCK!
thanks Dave....great information....Doug
Kidphone

Doug Rose

Kidphone