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1955 - 500C/D 2 55 if someone needs a Birthday Phone....

Started by DavePEI, March 17, 2011, 04:07:51 AM

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DavePEI

Someone send me a Western Electric 500 C/D dated 2/55 this week.

This phone had its plastic cover replaced in 1963 with a mis-matched 1963 dated white one, and the transmitter was replaced at some point with one dated 5/1/59.

The phone (other than top cover) is -60 light beige. All other components are dated 1955. It has the original felt feet, and a hollow center plastic finger-wheel.

When it arrived, the dial was binding - I cleaned the dial ultrasonically, and lubricated it sparingly, and it now works well. I use a cleaner called L&R waterless no-fome watch cleaning solution which cleans off even the varnishes left by old oil. I do highly recommend it. It has always worked great even with dials one would think were a lost cause.

I have posted 3 photos of it below. It is available to anyone needing it for the cost of shipping, or perhaps, some sort of trade. It isn't perfect, but a great candidate for refurbishing. I have cleaned it up some, but no attempt at buffing was made, as I don't have a matching cover (should not be too hard to find).

Some day I will get lucky and find a 4/52 set to match my b'day.

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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GG



Actually that's kinda' nice as it is: vaguely reminiscent of a GPO 706 in two-tone gray. 

jsowers

Dave, that may be -55 rose beige instead of -60 light beige, since light beige wasn't used until late 1957. But rose beige in 1955 had gray cords. So I'm not sure what you have there. What does it say on the back of the dial? Do you have a -55 or a -60? And what year? Also the coil cord would have a date stamp. It could have been replaced later on, like the housing.
Jonathan

Doug Rose

Quote from: jsowers on March 17, 2011, 10:20:55 AM
Dave, that may be -55 rose beige instead of -60 light beige, since light beige wasn't used until late 1957. But rose beige in 1955 had gray cords. So I'm not sure what you have there. What does it say on the back of the dial? Do you have a -55 or a -60? And what year? Also the coil cord would have a date stamp. It could have been replaced later on, like the housing.
Didn't the Rose Beige have white letters and numbers?....Doug
Kidphone

Dennis Markham

Yes Doug, the Rose Beige did have white numbers/letters.  Although the handset does look like Rose Beige I'll bet it's just a darkened Light Beige.  The dial bezel is certainly that.  More than likely the Light Beige components were added to the 2/55 chassis during a refurbishing process.  As Jonathan said, Light Beige wasn't released until 1957 according to Paul F's color code chart.

http://tinyurl.com/4s6a6h5

DavePEI

Quote from: jsowers on March 17, 2011, 10:20:55 AM
But rose beige in 1955 had gray cords. So I'm not sure what you have there. What does it say on the back of the dial? Do you have a -55 or a -60? And what year? Also the coil cord would have a date stamp.

Both cords have been replaced at some point....

The dial date is blacked out, and over-stamped 7C-60

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

jsowers

So the chassis (but not the dial) is the only thing that dates to 2-55. Looks like the rest was replaced down the line, as is often the case. Finding the rest of the components wouldn't be too easy, but you never know. Someone may also need this for the light beige dial, handset and cords.
Jonathan

RDP

And this is one reason why I don't collect the later colored sets.

The phone in question looks like it has a GREEN receiver and cord with a white shell and maybe beige number plate.

DavePEI

Quote from: jsowers on March 17, 2011, 11:54:05 AM
So the chassis (but not the dial) is the only thing that dates to 2-55. Looks like the rest was replaced down the line, as is often the case. Finding the rest of the components wouldn't be too easy, but you never know. Someone may also need this for the light beige dial, handset and cords.

No, the base, network, ringer, transmitter, dial (until I cleaned it and it removed the 1955 date - the black paint and over-stamped 1960 date stamped).

It is definitely NOT a green receiver or cord. The dial plate and receiver match in colour, likely changed when refurbished (date stamped in receiver is 1959). The colour temperature of the lights makes it appear slightly green in the photo. I am not colour blind, and I have seen the inside of the receiver. It is a slightly discoloured beige one. I suspect the phone started out as a black one.

At any rate,  don't intend to do any more work to this phone. I have many ca. 1955 Northern Electrics. It is available to anyone who wants it for the cost of shipping.

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

RDP

DavePEI, I wasn't saying YOUR colorblind.
I'm the one here that is colorblind.
I applied for a job at Ma Bell back in the 70s and they declined for some reason, and electronics school was fun also but I passed. Was the first in my class to learn the color code, for what good it was to me.

DavePEI

Quote from: RDP on March 17, 2011, 12:21:23 PM
DavePEI, I wasn't saying YOUR colorblind.
I'm the one here that is colorblind.
I applied for a job at Ma Bell back in the 70s and they declined for some reason, and electronics school was fun also but I passed. Was the first in my class to learn the color code.


Isn't that funny. It is amazing how a colour blind person learns to adapt. Colour codes (excuse my Canadian spelling of "color") would be extremely difficult to interpret. I really didn't mean to insult you  ;).

The green cast to the handset is a combination of the fluorescent lights over the phone when I took the photos, and the colour temp. of the camera. It is a nice phone, but as I mentioned, the plastics have been changed.

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