Color 500 Set Advertising Post Card

[unbeldi]

For the 2-tone 500 fans:

Designed to give pleasing contrast of lustrous colored base and jet black handset.

[In plain English: please be patient while we figure out how to make colored PVC handset cords and don't mess up the injection molds for plastic handset and dials.]

[unbeldi]

On the reverse side, the humor of October 23, 1954:

[Fabius]

Why isn't there any mention of Western Electric, Bell Company, etc. on the card I started the discussion or the red & black one?

[unbeldi]

Why isn't there any mention of Western Electric, Bell Company, etc. on the card I started the discussion or the red & black one?

Because it is a forgery.  I don't think Bell or WECo ever made such a card.

[TelePlay]

Why isn't there any mention of Western Electric, Bell Company, etc. on the card I started the discussion or the red & black one?

Looks like the red and black two tone was cropped out of the full page ad by unbeldi. As such, the WE logo is on the bottom right corner of the full page, uncropped ad.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13016.msg136919#msg136919

[Fabius]

Ah! I learned something.

[Russ Kirk]

Here is an excerpt from a September 1955 Pacific Telephone booklet.
Looks like they figured out where to place the handset cord.

[Russ Kirk]

and more color

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Looks like they figured out where to place the handset cord.

...but they didn't figure out that people wanted to talk more than four inches away from the phone!