Soft red 500 with gray cord

[Gilas]

Just grabbed what looks to be a red soft plastic with gray cords on ebay in a BIN.  In one of the pics you can see the date stamp on the lip of the housing and the seller shows the handset stamps.  http://tinyurl.com/b3tk6mz  Hopefully I'm right and can add this on to the collection.  Now if it only had the line cord lol.

Mike

[AE40FAN]

Score!

[LarryInMichigan]

It sure looks like the real thing from here.  Great catch!

Larry

[jsowers]

Mike, it looks like the real thing to me too, and it does have the correct mounting cord. The seller mistook the color code for the year. It's not a 1953 phone, it's -53 red. It looks like it was refurbished sometime along the way, but likely still in the 1950s since it has a number card like that and those dark gray cords. Notice the original date has been painted over and two stamps were added.

Let us know what it turns out to be when it arrives. And be sure to send packing instructions to the seller. You can't be too careful!

Here's the auction picture, for reference...

[LarryInMichigan]

The appearance of the surface of the shell suggests that it's soft plastic, and the dates on the handset are definitely from the soft plastic period.

Larry

[Dennis Markham]

Looks like the real deal to me too, Mike.  Nice buy for that price.  That's being in the right place at the right time.  As Jonathan said, give them packing instructions.  This phone has been around too long to suffer from improper packing.

[Gilas]

I sent the packing instructions first thing.  I see the cord now, no clue why I missed that lol.  I saw the refurb stamps and it worried me for a sec but then I could see that the lip of the housing was stamped and almost readable from the odd picture so figured with that, the cord, and the handset all soft I would take the chance. Here's hoping that they ship it right and it makes the trip.  Updates to follow. 

[Gilas]

Well I got this awhile ago for a BIN of $50 and set it aside for other projects but finally got into it.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that everything in there was immaculate and all dated either 11/55 or 12/55, not sure why the bottom had some black on the date.  The cords are in outstanding shape, the leather pads look new.  Attached to the cords was even a small package that was dated 1956 and has the 4 prong adapter inside still unused.  It's hard to believe that it was even used.