I recently bought a near mint condition all matching 1955 WE500. It arrived today, and I opened it and was very pleased with how pristine it was, almost new. Then I started to look closer and much to my disappointment on the back in the carry well was written...
Signal Corp U.S. Army
Telephone set
Western Electric.
Just how much does that delvalue an otherwise great phone ?
D/P
Quote from: Dan/Panther on February 13, 2009, 12:09:43 AM
I recently bought a near mint condition all matching 1955 WE500. It arrived today, and I opened it and was very pleased with how pristine it was, almost new. Then I started to look closer and much to my disappointment on the back in the carry well was written...
Signal Corp U.S. Army
Telephone set
Western Electric.
Just how much does that delvalue an otherwise great phone ?
D/P
Do you have any photos ?
Gee, D/P, that's just some hard luck there. ;)
I see signal corp 500s on Ebay from time to time.
Here's one: http://tinyurl.com/dz7sfr
(I don't know what year (s) it is. I'm assuming '60s because of the plastic dial.)
Anyways, it seems to me that the Signal Corp phones of any type would be worth more than the civilian counterparts, just because of general interest in militaria. At least I know that I pursued and got a NE Gallion Signal Corp and my interest in it was for the military history.
Whatever the case, congratulations. Sounds like a really nice phone.
There's another one on the 'Bay right now.
I just wish it had been mentioned in the listing.
Here is a Photo, the only concern is the dull finger stop. makes me wonder how could a phone stay that nice, but the finger stop loose it's plating?
G1 handset, heavy coiled cord, suede feet, soft plastic shell, the dial has the real solid whirrrrr !!!! Also the suede feet are almost perfect, and riveted on not screwed.
D/P
I forgot to add it also has a Kellogg dial card.
D/P
What a beauty! I still think IMHO that the Signal Corp makes it more desirable, not less. Would like to hear others' opinions about that. That is odd about the fingerstop loosing it's plating while the rest of the phone is so pristine. Have you tested it for radioactivity? Did it come from New Mexico? ;)
Yeah, as common as these sets are, you've got another interesting piece. BTW, a military version of the North Electric Galion went well above the norm recently.
Yes it came from Alamagordo Why ? ::)
Funny you should mention that. In 1980 my Grandfather was coming to California for his yearly visit, when he had a Heart attack in Roswell New Mexico.
So I took a bus to Rosewell to drive his car to California. On the way I stopped at White Sands Proving Grounds to look at the Sand. I took a tupperware container and crawled through the fence and scooped up a bunch of the sand. I later found it's a federal offense to take the sand, and a hefty fine.
I still gave the container of sand. we enjoy sitting in the dark and watching it glow....
D/P
On the bottom, the original date has been glass bead blasted off, and in pencil is written..
"Property of
Muderfill ?"
That is all I can make out.
Notice the feet are perfectr.
D/P
Where the original date used to be, I can faintly make out what appears to be 11/49....
It could happen....
D/P
I remember seeing that one on ebay. The rest says "loaned to f..." and the date.
Quote from: Dan/Panther
On the way I stopped at White Sands Proving Grounds to look at the Sand. I took a tupperware container and crawled through the fence and scooped up a bunch of the sand. I later found it's a federal offense to take the sand, and a hefty fine.
I still gave the container of sand. we enjoy sitting in the dark and watching it glow...
Hmm: I'll think twice about playing in white sparkly sand boxes from now on, at least without one of these toys:
http://tinyurl.com/dxswy2
Those
are nice feet! So does anyone have a theory on why the fingerstop chrome is gone while the rest of the phone is so good? It's got me stumped, but that's nothing new. ;)
Hopefully the Statute of Limitations has run out on the sand. :)
In 1949 wouldn't the date have been printed near the front of the phone as they were in 1950?
Quote from: Dennis Markham on February 13, 2009, 03:09:07 PM
Hopefully the Statute of Limitations has run out on the sand. :)
In 1949 wouldn't the date have been printed near the front of the phone as they were in 1950?
What sand ???
Details, Details, Details....This phone was a prototype for the new numbering system location....??? ::)When it didn't look good, they sand blasted it off and went to the other system, them they went to the new system in 1950... ;D
D/P
I have one of those signal corp sets also, although not nearly as old or as pretty as yours.
Mine was a local purchase, and in fact one of my first telephones-it was number 4 or 5, if I correctly recall, and I paid the princely sum of $5 for it(came across the sticker that was on it the other day).
I've had it for four years, but it didn't dawn on me until I got into 500 sets in a big way last summer that there was anything unusual about it.
(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee204/ben10ben/IMG_0684.jpg)
(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee204/ben10ben/IMG_0689.jpg)
(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee204/ben10ben/IMG_0690.jpg)
Do all the parts date to 1955, or is the dial from 1951/52/53ish? If the dial was from the Korean war era, that might explain thin or cheap chrome plating. Car bumpers and chromed whatnots from that era are total garbage because of their bad chrome.
Maybe this phone was owned by a phone pfreak who cleaned it up, hence the pristine condition, but they did nothing for the fingerstop. Maybe.
It's a nice phone, and I would think, but what do I know, that with the military history connection you would have a phone worth a tad more than the average 1955 500.
Quote from: Dan/Panther on February 13, 2009, 02:35:21 PM
Yes it came from Alamagordo Why ? ::)
Funny you should mention that. In 1980 my Grandfather was coming to California for his yearly visit, when he had a Heart attack in Roswell New Mexico.
So I took a bus to Rosewell to drive his car to California. On the way I stopped at White Sands Proving Grounds to look at the Sand. I took a tupperware container and crawled through the fence and scooped up a bunch of the sand. I later found it's a federal offense to take the sand, and a hefty fine.
I still gave the container of sand. we enjoy sitting in the dark and watching it glow....
D/
The white sand isn't a radioactivity risk. the green, fused lumps of sand, called Trinitite are. That was formed as sand at Trinity was sucked up into the mushroom cloud and fused with byproducts of the explosion and vaporized steel from the bomb and the tower.
That's why when we lived in Socorro in the 80's our electric bill was so low, we never turned on the lights at night ;D
Looks like "Underhill"
Sargeguy;
I think you are right it's Underhill.
D/P
When I sppoke to Ricahrd Marsh the other day, i asked him whiuch phone in his opinion was the more desirable of the two, he said without doubt, the signal corp is the better by far of the two type phones and should always bring a premium price. He went on to say they were built to a higher quality standard, and were tropicalized to boot. Just an all around better quality built phone.
That brightened my day for sure.
D/P
Quote from: Dan/Panther on February 16, 2009, 12:41:33 AM
and were tropicalized to boot.
D/P
Ahh, that should go right along with your Trans-Oceanic.
I don't know if my North Electric Galion Signal Corp is tropicalized like the WE500SC but it seems to get along with the Trans-Oceanic just fine. :)
Quote from: Dan/Panther on February 16, 2009, 12:41:33 AM
When I sppoke to Ricahrd Marsh the other day, i asked him whiuch phone in his opinion was the more desirable of the two, he said without doubt, the signal corp is the better by far of the two type phones and should always bring a premium price. He went on to say they were built to a higher quality standard, and were tropicalized to boot. Just an all around better quality built phone.
That brightened my day for sure.
D/P
I find the part about higher quality interesting-it's certainly hard to imagine more quality being built into a WE phone than is already there. I don't recall noticing anything out of the ordinary in mine-it looks like just a bog standard 500 C/D aside from the markings.
I certainly respect his knowledge, though, so I'll have to pull mine apart and give it a thorough examination.