Nice example of the early color 302, with body-color plungers etc... it also looks like the thick fingerwheel is in place. Pics show 1st quarter '41 dates.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Western-Electric-Ivory-302-Exceptional-Early-41-Model-/280591596015
( dead link 12-06-21 )
It will definitely bring at least $250, since that is where the bidding began and there's a bid in place.
Here's a clip of the ad copy:
This has to be highly desireable. Unbelievable condition, the bells still show a beautiful brass, all parts original, and one very special interesting feature.....unlike the clear plastic switch hook buttons most color 302's have.....these are ivory to match !
Dated inside and on all parts 1941....and the red Western Electric stamp with the date is in tact on the inside of the plastic case. Even the dial card has the original Parkway 8 - 4111.
The photos speak for themselves. I have tried to photogragh it well. You won't find any chips or cracks. There may be one tiny scuff mark and one tiny black mark on the back....but otherwise this is like right out of the box ! No receiver cracks! If there are any specific photo angles you desire, please ask, include your email and allow me a day to get them to you.
I have replaced the original cloth cords with beautiful new ivory cloth cords and there is a modular plug. It works ! Beautiful ring. Something for you to enjoy right away. It is a beauty ! You can picture this in a Hollywood movie or on your nightstand.
I aquired this phone about 6 years ago, and it has been in a display case every since.
That's an absolutely beautiful example.
darn :o
That is one gorgeous phone :)
It is a beautiful phone BUT... the hookswitch cover looks thermoplastic and not the painted metal the the pre-war color sets are supposed to have. I know, minor. New cords, disappointing. I know its pre-war, but it looks doctored. I do love the vermilion stamp by the hookswitch inside. This is a lot of money for a Ivory set that is not all original. I'd like to see the date on the dial (is it a 5J), the dial plate and the receiver module. Date on the base in unreadable. I think the one that deedubya has is a better representation in my humble opinion....Doug
If that is the thick, early plastic fingerwheel, it's the first one I've actually seen, photo or otherwise. I was thinking that the earliest color 302s had a much thicker fingerwheel than the post-war sets.
It looks unusually thick in the photo, but I'm not sure.
That is a lovely 302...I already have an ivory from '51 which is a bit more yellow than that but otherwise in very nice shape, so no bidding on it from me...but it is beautiful!
Jeff
The replaced cords is a shame, unless the originals could at least be included in the package. The finger wheel does look awful thick, but it's really pretty. I believe this is the first pre-war colored set I've seen since mine. Looking at the inside pics, I'm not so sure the filler plate isn't painted metal.
The date stamp inside the shell says "5 1741 59055". I'm guessing that means May 17, 1941. I have to wonder what the 59055 signifies. The stamp on mine, which is is on the front lower edge of the shell rather than up on the back, reads "3 2342 60004".
As for the date stamp on the base plate, I can tell it's something of 41, but I can't tell if it's a 5, 6, or 8. I'm hoping 5. The seller should invest in a tripod.
It is a beautiful telephone. It may be worth $250. Mine went for $315. An excellent ivory 354 just went this afternoon for $305.
Mmmm, Ivory, I like!
Apparently someone else likes it too. A lot. This white chocolate beauty sold for $448!!!! I never would have guessed! Now I really feel lucky my seller couldn't spell well. Maybe I should try to sell mine? Nah, I can't. I'm still in love with her!
Quote from: deedubya3800 on November 25, 2010, 08:29:27 PM
Apparently someone else likes it too. A lot. This white chocolate beauty sold for $448!!!! I never would have guessed! Now I really feel lucky my seller couldn't spell well. Maybe I should try to sell mine? Nah, I can't. I'm still in love with her!
I saw ETS79 this weekend in Illinois. He's the buyer.
I am the lucky winner of this auction. I received the Ivory 302 today. It is probably even a little better than I hoped. There are cracks, though, on the handset caps and on the back near the top of the phone. They are minor and very common on plastic 302's. It is near NOS quality with almost no wear marks anywhere.
It has all the correct features.
Solid handsed
Metal insert on back
Thick fingerwheel (Check the unique attachment method)
Solid color plungers
ALL date codes match early 1941 (Dial date code is visible if I look up under the gasket)
I have posted a couple more photos under the "cracked blue 302" topic (general discussion)
WOW! I just received my 1949 ivory today. I'll post pics later. Yours is a beauty. It will be cool to show the differences via pics. You have to be pleased with it's pristine condition!
Love that early fingerwheel & pristine dial plate!!! I'd like to find one someday.
ETS....Beautiful phone, better than the auction pictures showed. How do you remove the Finger wheel. Is is by the nut that is pictured? If, so, how did you remove the dial card? Would you be so kind to show a picture of the finger wheel off the phone with a standard clear finger wheel next to it....great phone!......Doug
The latch for removing the finger wheel on the 5J dial is different than any other WE plastic dial finger wheel. You do not remove the nut. THere is a little tag on the underside of the finger wheel at about the position of hole # 7 or 8 that is moved with a very narrow scew driver or some other flat and thin object. You also have to be very, very careful not to booger up the white paint on the edge of the 5J dial housing. Somewhere there is a diagram of the finger wheel removal on a 5J.
Bill,
That information is all true for the late '40s 5J FW. The earlier version shown above is removed from the dial by prying the acetate disk & number card out of the center & loosening the nut. The fingerwheel is cast onto the metal cross piece that is shown in the pic. above , so FW & mount come off as a unit.
Quote from: Jester on December 03, 2010, 02:48:50 PM
Bill,
That information is all true for the late '40s 5J FW. The earlier version shown above is removed from the dial by prying the acetate disk & number card out of the center & loosening the nut. The fingerwheel is cast onto the metal cross piece that is shown in the pic. above , so FW & mount come off as a unit.
Stephen...that's what I thought. I wondered why the dial card looked so rumpled around the edges. Not the best design WE came up with.
Bill, you are describing the clear finger wheel that went on the 5Js with the two piece flange before the hole was added to put the good old paper clip in.
I'd love to see a picture of these two clear finger wheels side by side.....thanks....Doug
Well, as the old guys used to say, "I'll be danged"
I have not run into the kind with the mount built into the finger wheel. I have three of the 5J versions.
What is it about those ivory 302s that makes them seem so "creamy" compared to ivory 500s?
Here's my 12-1949 for comparison.
Interesting story on this one. The seller went to the home of an estate auction and saw this phone hooked up in the den. She saw it wasn't in the auction and asked if she could buy it. She didn't think it was old because it was so clean. She bought it anyway and put it up on ebay after keeping it for a year. It is so clean, all I did was a wipe over with Novus two. The handset needs an ivory cord. It works all the way, the cord has a little fraying. Any supplier out there for me guys?
It is milky, that's all I can say !
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory011.jpg)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory010.jpg)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory004.jpg)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory005.jpg)
oldphoneworks.com has the cords you need.
Thanks Bill, I just ordered a cord
To ETS1979 and Dan:
Both very beautiful phones! Congratulations! The filler plate under the grip handle, what is it made of? I think pre-war are painted metal and and post-war are molded plastic, and I'd like to confirm it. My '42 is painted metal.
Mine is bakelite
Quote from: deedubya3800 on December 03, 2010, 10:00:19 PM
To ETS1979 and Dan:
Both very beautiful phones! Congratulations! The filler plate under the grip handle, what is it made of? I think pre-war are painted metal and and post-war are molded plastic, and I'd like to confirm it. My '42 is painted metal.
ETS has another ivory '41 - also really nice, it required a lot of love to restore the finish though. Saw him and an old group of college friends this past weekend so we were talking about the first '41's history at that time. That one does have the painted metal cup under the lift. Here's a pic of the first '41 he posted back in July. You can see the slightly different color of the painted metal cup.
(http://img175.imageshack.us/img175/753/forum9.jpg)
I'm thinking this one probably does because the dates are the same in both phones, first quarter '41. His previous '41 did not have the thick fingerwheel when he got it - had a later, and damaged, thinner clear wheel. This is the first one I've seen with the thick fingerwheel.
Here's another pic of that first '41.
(http://img51.imageshack.us/img51/5869/forum10j.jpg)
That original thread if you're curious -
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=2327.0
Quote from: Dan on December 03, 2010, 07:46:53 PM
Here's my 12-1949 for comparison.
Interesting story on this one. The seller went to the home of an estate auction and saw this phone hooked up in the den. She saw it wasn't in the auction and asked if she could buy it. She didn't think it was old because it was so clean. She bought it anyway and put it up on ebay after keeping it for a year. It is so clean, all I did was a wipe over with Novus two. The handset needs an ivory cord. It works all the way, the cord has a little fraying. Any supplier out there for me guys?
It is milky, that's all I can say !
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory011.jpg)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory010.jpg)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory004.jpg)
(http://i617.photobucket.com/albums/tt253/dvortv/302ivory005.jpg)
Dan....HOME RUN!!! You hit it out of the Park with this beauty. Great Price...Great phone!....Doug
Thanks Doug, it looks like it will be my best Christmas present this year.
All the above has made for a very interesting discussion! This photo shows the fingerwheel removed from the phone. As suggested above, it does come off very easily by removing the nut. This is much easier and safer than the later version with the tiny slider underneath.
This photo shows the requested side by side comparison. The metal 4 pointed star fits into the nicely formed fingerwheel and pushes down on the corresponding 4 pointed star seen on the phone. A great system! Now the bad news...It appears that the only way to install a dial card is to carefully work it into the groove in the upper part of the fingerwheel. Though I haven't tried it yet, it is probably going to be tricky to do without bending the card. The card that was on the phone was not installed. It was stuck to the nut with a loop of scotch tape. I don't think it belonged on the phone....The comparison fingerwheel comes from my cracked blue 302.
Here are couple more comparison pics...
ETS....thank you very much...a great history lesson on a not so well known finger wheel. I do appreciate it....many thanks....Doug
Wonder what the BSP documentation would show on this early fingerwheel and the transition to the more-familiar version? Maybe there was a recommended method of installing the number cards without damage.
I'm glad mine has a brushed metal fingerwheel. I finally took it off today to clean it and was pleased to find that even my dial plate is original. It's in really good shape, as is everything on this phone.
Here's an interesting comparison. The handset in this photo is from the Ivory '41 shown above. The rest of the phone is a very late (1954) Ivory with #6 dial. Both phones have almost no discoloration. It appears that the prewar Ivories were slightly darker than the later one's....The two dial plates in the photo next to the phone are same dated celluloid plates (II '35). Part of my original condition 1950's bar is also visible.
I ran accross something the other day while scratching my head trying to figure out what would be an appropriate dial card for this unique thick fingerwheel setup with the insert slot on the top rather that at 3 o'clock like most other WE phones. I have no idea what I took this off of, but I found this card in my collection. It appears to be the correct diameter and has the tab on top. Is it possibly the correct mask for this application? Or is it possibly made for a non WE product? Anyone have any comments on this?
Yes the mask is correct for the colored set's. They were made in all colors, also there is 2 types. One with a small hole (like this one) and one with a bigger hole, looks like it would take 2 lines of info. (no is does not, but just for size info).
I think the smaller one was used with numbers only (3-4567), the biger one was used with a name (HUnter5-6798).
Vern P
PS I have 2 Ivory 302, will trade for an Ivory 1554.