Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Collector's Corner => Topic started by: HobieSport on October 16, 2008, 07:53:36 PM

Title: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: HobieSport on October 16, 2008, 07:53:36 PM
I ask because sometimes on Ebay you'll find WE 500s that have metal dials but are described by guesswork by the seller as being from the 1960s or even the 1970s.

It might be a way to pick up older 1950s model with some luck.

Where are the manufacturing dates on WE 500s?  Do you have to open them up to find out or are they sometimes printed on the base?

Thanks, -Matt
Title: Re: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: benhutcherson on October 16, 2008, 08:14:08 PM
From what I've seen, they were in use on black phones up through the early to mid 1960s-I have both a 500 and 554 from '64, both of which have the metal finger wheel(and G-1 handset).

Also, keep in mind that if a phone was refurbished and the original dial was still serviceable, it would, in my experience, typically be left in place. I have a 500 on which the dial and network are from '54, but the base is dated '75 by means of a paste-on sticker over where the original date marking would have been.
Title: Re: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: McHeath on October 16, 2008, 10:08:46 PM
Seems that I've read mid 60s was the end of the metal dials.  But of course they reused stuff forever.
Title: Re: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: Bill Cahill on October 16, 2008, 10:14:28 PM
My 63 500 has a metal dial.
Bill Cahill   ;D
Title: Re: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: AL_as_needed on April 13, 2016, 07:45:52 PM
I have a 73 554 with a metal dial, but the dial itself is a 64 I think. Not sure if that was a refurb item or something someone did post post 81. Same unit also has a Bakelite handset with no date mark. Did they keep those on for wall sets to run the beefy hookswitch? Don't own a colored wall set for reference.
Title: Re: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: RotarDad on April 13, 2016, 11:38:10 PM
New production black 500 and 554 sets had bakelite handsets and metal finger wheel (#7 dials) until sometime in' 65.  The #9 dial came out in '65 about the same time the black G-3 ABS handsets did.  If you have a '73 phone with a metal wheel and a G-1, it is definitely a refurbished set.
Title: Re: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: andre_janew on April 14, 2016, 11:44:31 AM
I've heard that the #9 dials and the black G-3 ABS handsets came out sometime late in '65.  Perhaps as late as the last quarter.
Title: Re: How late did some WE 500s have metal dials?
Post by: poplar1 on April 14, 2016, 01:48:13 PM
Black 9C-3 dials have been found dated 2-65. Beige 9C-60 dials as early as 1-65.
The replacement for this dial was the 9CA, by 10-74 (green) and by 9-75 (black).

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11422.msg132909#msg132909

Some black G3A handsets have been found dated 11-64, but the G1-type continued to be manufactured until later (1966?). A batch of late 1964 refurbished 500s we got have a mixture of G1 and G3s.