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Are 500s the Cat's Meow?

Started by DavePEI, May 26, 2014, 06:20:42 AM

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DavePEI

Lately I have been noticing that some of our members appear to be stuck on collecting 500 and 500 variation sets.

I just wanted to encourage those people to look beyond the 500 set. 500s are the most common vintage phone on the market today, and yes, there are certainly some very interesting variations. I am not looking for an argument with anyone – I just want to encourage some of our new members to expand their horizons.


Now, amongst younger members, 500 collecting does make a kind of sense. First of all, a generation tends to collect items they have known within their lifetime. A collection of 500 sets can be gathered generally with a lower cash outlay than older, rarer phones. That is not to say there aren't some very rare 500 variations.


But, if you look beyond the 500 set, you will notice others are collecting much more than 500 sets.


Then again, dial phones alone aren't the only phones which are extremely collectible. There were also a very few extremely rare common/local battery sets designed to run on either type of line. An AE phone I posted last year was one such type – in fact this one was so rare, it is the only known factory example.


So my point is, look into collecting different brands. Look into collecting wooden and magneto phones. Look into collecting pay phones, ephemera, switching equipment, convertibles. There you will find some extremely rare pieces. Don't overlook them in your quest to find that Mediterranean Blue 500.


Yes, Virginia, there are phones beyond the 500 set. A horse with blinders on will walk a straight line. Without, they will walk anywhere and can explore their total surroundings.


I am not saying don't collect 500s, but what I am trying to say is there are far rarer and harder to find pieces than them, and if you keep your eyes open, you will eventually wind up with a collection anyone can admire.


Mix it up a bit – phones come in some incredible types! Phones have been in use for well over a century now, 500 sets only represent the past 60 years. Don't overlook a great example of a phone which is very rare just because it isn't a 500 or WE or NE , or dial, or whatever.


Watch out for those rare phones like my AE local/common battery phone, or for my very rare Phillips wood box monophone, all those wonderful wooden phones.


All that history!


Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
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LM Ericsson

Regards,
-Grayson

DavePEI

Quote from: LM Ericsson on May 26, 2014, 09:51:50 AM
Do foreign telephones count? ;)
Sure they do. So long as one doesn't get stuck collecting one type only. Variety is the spice of life! :)
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001

baldopeacock

Quote from: LM Ericsson on May 26, 2014, 09:51:50 AM
Do foreign telephones count? ;)

Only Chinese-made 500 and 2500 clones

WesternElectricBen

I see what your saying Dave, I understand who your indirectly pointing out, (don't worry, your not offending me, at least.)

I myself would really like to get in the older things, but I find there are just too many fakes that it puts me at unease when buying. Also, they are generally bigger and heaver like wood wall phones.

Although, I have gotten into the 302's and hope to get into 202's  and candlesticks, once I mow a few more lawns. I'l definitely be looking for a good one at Lancaster.

Ben

Contempra

Hi dave. For my part, I am not attached to a model in particular. If a phone can be repaired and worked, i'm satisfied.

mentalstampede

While I can certainly see the appeal of searching for every variant of a particular type, I would rapidly become bored with that.  I actually only have one 500 variant in my collection right now. variety is the spice of life.
My name is Kenn, and I like telephones.

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." --Robert Heinlein

WEBellSystemChristian

I'm finding myself starting to collecting other phones in the Western Electric range. Even though I love and now own WE candlesticks/D1s, the 500 will always be my favorite phone.
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

Dan/Panther

When I first started collecting phones, I collected all makes. I realized that going that route, I would only have a collection of the most common phones of each make at best. Then I narrowed it down to Western Electrics. I kept my other brand phones, but concentrated on W.E. I set a goal of one each Black 500 from 1950 to 1960, then as I completed that I decided to exchange each for ones made in October, my birth month. Then I started at the same time collecting the colored sets of the 50's. Then one example of each W.E phone made to show the progression of model changes. Then I added a Princess phone like My Mom had in 1960. That evolved into one of each 701 in all available colors. I added in 302 variations, because I love the style. Though the collection may never be completed, I have an obtainable goal for each style chosen. I found my collection grew rather quickly, where as before It was a confusing mismatched pile of telephones, with no rhyme nor reason.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

twocvbloke

Speaking as a brit, the WE500 (and licensed clones) aren't as common here as say the GPO 706 & 746, so they're worth collecting at this end, AE phones even less so, and other phones from across the pond, well, they either aren't here or they're insanely expensive, I'd love to have a 302 and a 5302 though, just to break the 1950's barrier that I've stuck to these past couple of years, it's just the cost of getting them that is the problem... :)

DavePEI

#10
Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on May 26, 2014, 12:42:04 PM
I'm finding myself starting to collecting other phones in the Western Electric range. Even though I love and now own WE candlesticks/D1s, the 500 will always be my favorite phone.
Which is pretty normal considering your age, Christian. As I mentioned, each generation has their favorite decade to collect, be it phones, or other collectables. Now, one tends to favour items which you still saw or knew when you were young.

To me, I have sort of a split perspective. Born in the early 50s, both the 500 and 300 series were in very common use in the town where I lived - but, because Brockville was a telephone manufacturing town, I was also exposed to most types that Automatic Electric built. As a result, I collect both Northern/Western Electric types, plus Automatic Electric types. Then, in the summers, we spent two months here on PEI, and here, we still (and for many years after that), had magneto exchanges in the country (up till 1976), resulting in an interest in both dial and magneto phones. My acquisition of the 1240 switchboard years ago further increased my interest in magneto types.

So I guess that takes me out of that "normal" range, as my interests lie in a broad range of telephones.

Someone below listed a fear of "fakes" as a reason for not collecting older phones. Believe me, there are faked 500 sets around, too. Sargeguy is doing a good job educating people on the fakes out there and warning people to watch for them. I just hope he doesn't scare people away from trying to collect these rarer phones. I think a little common sense will help people avoid most fakes, and they aren't as predominant as some may fear. But they do exist, and one has to be aware.

Begin by collecting the better known types. The ones you can find photos of the real deal. That is where an older collector has the advantage - we remember some of these phones in service, and can eliminate fakes by our familiarity with the real deal. But the main thing for anyone is to familiarize yourself with the genuine article before hitting the bid button.

Nor will you always know you have found something really special until it arrives. In the case of my Phillips Electrical Works phone, I always knew it was hard to find - I searched for that one for 40 years after my parents threw out the ones I had when I was young. Finally, after a 40 year search, I finally found another. One struck off the bucket list.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11635.0

But the AE local/common battery phone I got last year was a complete surprise. When I bought it both the seller and I thought it was a much more common common battery wall phone - it was only when it arrived that I discovered its rarity.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10907.msg104458#msg104458

My main point, is don't feel that 500s are the only phones to collect. You will be missing some of the most interesting pieces. I, too have 500 sets I value, but no more than the very many older sets I have.

Perhaps, the 1889 Bell Canada three box, Blake transmitter, long pole receiver, the 11 digit Strowger and the Phillips wooden monophone are my favorites, but I still love my recently acquired 500 Q3A plus NE41BN magneto and the 554 Q3A plus NE41BN magneto I have had for a while.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11863.msg126427#msg126427

Dave
The Telephone Museum of Prince Edward Island:
http://www.islandregister.com/phones/museum.html
Free Admission - Call (902) 651-2762 to arrange a visit!
C*NET 1-651-0001