WE 500 please teach me!

[vivi]

Kenny,
so does the bezel lie flat again the dial, then the retainer ring, then the clear wheel?  Because this bezel doesn't fit flat correctly... its tabs and the tabs on the dial force it to lie with numbers in the wrong place .... i don't know if I am explaining this correctly... do you get what i mean?

[Kenny C]

Yes thats the right order. you probably need a new bezel ask around and you would probably find one.

[vivi]

okay correction, i got it to fit right -kind of forced it! ...of course no ring to go over it.

what part is shattered on the bezel?

[Kenny C]

vivi,
I have a spare ring i could send you. Pm me your adress and i will get it out. If it fit correctly then it must have been modified. It looks like a bezel for a #7 dial dont you guys think?
Hope I helped,
Kenny C.

[Jim Stettler]

I have a couple questions for you phone experts....

1- How does one know how to buy one of these WE or Bell Sys 500 phones on Ebay and not get stuck with junk? Some of these phones go for good $$$ and having to buy a new bezel, etc. just adds on and I don't know how to tell if such thing as a retainer ring is missing or the bezel shattered???

2- How much would you all pay for a WE / Bell Sys. 500? (that doesn't have matching dates nor an original cord?) 

3- Should I just buy another phone?

4- What do you think about the non matching dates between case and inside parts?

1. Buy in person from yard sales thrifts and Craigslist. Buy from other collectors.

2. I buy $1 500 when I find them, at $5.00 I get picky.

3. You should always buy another phone.

4. Matching dates are a bonus. Don't worry about mis-matched dates.
Jim

[vivi]

I have a couple questions for you phone experts....

1- How does one know how to buy one of these WE or Bell Sys 500 phones on Ebay and not get stuck with junk? Some of these phones go for good $$$ and having to buy a new bezel, etc. just adds on and I don't know how to tell if such thing as a retainer ring is missing or the bezel shattered???

2- How much would you all pay for a WE / Bell Sys. 500? (that doesn't have matching dates nor an original cord?) 

3- Should I just buy another phone?

4- What do you think about the non matching dates between case and inside parts?

1. Buy in person from yard sales thrifts and Craigslist. Buy from other collectors.

2. I buy $1 500 when I find them, at $5.00 I get picky.

3. You should always buy another phone.

4. Matching dates are a bonus. Don't worry about mis-matched dates.
Jim

Jim - you crack me up!!! So why are people paying $30, $60, $88 for 500s on Ebay?? They're as dumb as me, I guess!  I want a red one for my kitchen so badly (which is why i bought this one  ) but payed a little more than $5  for it! I haven't seen ANY  that sell for $5!!!!!!  In fact there's one I like on there now and its starting at $29 plus ship....... so sad  .

Anyone on here have a $5 red WE 500 that works?? right!

Thanks for your help everyone!

[Jim Stettler]

I have a couple questions for you phone experts....

1- How does one know how to buy one of these WE or Bell Sys 500 phones on Ebay and not get stuck with junk? Some of these phones go for good $$$ and having to buy a new bezel, etc. just adds on and I don't know how to tell if such thing as a retainer ring is missing or the bezel shattered???

2- How much would you all pay for a WE / Bell Sys. 500? (that doesn't have matching dates nor an original cord?) 

3- Should I just buy another phone?

4- What do you think about the non matching dates between case and inside parts?

1. Buy in person from yard sales thrifts and Craigslist. Buy from other collectors.

2. I buy $1 500 when I find them, at $5.00 I get picky.

3. You should always buy another phone.

4. Matching dates are a bonus. Don't worry about mis-matched dates.
Jim

Jim - you crack me up!!! So why are people paying $30, $60, $88 for 500s on Ebay?? They're as dumb as me, I guess!  I want a red one for my kitchen so badly (which is why i bought this one  ) but payed a little more than $5  for it! I haven't seen ANY  that sell for $5!!!!!!  In fact there's one I like on there now and its starting at $29 plus ship....... so sad  .

Anyone on here have a $5 red WE 500 that works?? right!

Thanks for your help everyone!

They pay high because the ebay phones are rare, 1 of a kind phones.
I sell phones cheap because mine are common and I have 3 more just like it.

I would probably give $10.00 for a modern mod 500 in Red, more if it was HW or early ect.

I have never paid more than $285.00 for a 500 set.
Jim

[Dennis Markham]

I'm wondering if that is the correct Bezel for that dial.  The last photo posted (by Kenny) shows the retainer clip.  It is designed to hold a bezel onto the dial.  But I don't think that's the right one.  I have some various types.

I was just trying to take some photos and my camera just went kaput.  I dug out my old one but can't find the battery charger.  So I'm out of commission at the moment for taking pictures. 

Let me see if I have a red dial bezel that you can have.

This reinforces my philosophy on buying the later phones.  I don't.  They got cheaper and cheaper with more plastic.  I bought my share before I figured it out.  I've had phones arrive with that bezel glued to the dial.  Because someone broke it and just glued it.  Older=good.  Newer=cheaper.

[vivi]

Thanks Dennis! Well, lesson learned  .  As a newbie to phone collecting, I can't tell enough just by the pics. and maybe don't even know what to ask in order to judge well what I am buying.

Jeeez... glued bezel?! That's horrible!

Beyond what year would you not buy a phone?

[deedubya3800]

2006.

[Dennis Markham]

Vivi, I compared a dial bezel that uses the missing retainer clip to your photos.  Your bezel does not appear to be damaged at all.  All you need is the clip (the photo Kenny posted).  I have some spares of these.  If you'd like me to send you one, just PM me your address.

You must be careful when placing this bezel on the 9C dial (double check yours...does it say 9C on the back side?) so as to not break the little tabs.  Just align the finger stop opening with the place on the dial that the finger stop fits into, then is screwed down tight.

The retainer ring fits over the center hub and there are three little tabs that slider under a slotted area on the dial so that the bezel is held tightly against the dial.

I do have a red bezel but it is even later with two half-moon pieces that are designed to be held to the dial.  It will work with your dial along with the three pronged clip.  But in my opinion, you don't need a new bezel.

As far as how late of a phone I'd buy, I really keep them in the 50's for my own collection.  But I would say 1965 or earlier.  They still have the earlier #7 dials and are heavier and just seem more well built to me.  Like cars, they began to get cheaper with more plastic pieces in 1965.

That doesn't mean I don't have some much later stuff, because I do.  I bought a lot of stuff and learned the differences that way.

[Jim Stettler]

Thanks Dennis! Well, lesson learned  .  As a newbie to phone collecting, I can't tell enough just by the pics. and maybe don't even know what to ask in order to judge well what I am buying.

Jeeez... glued bezel?! That's horrible!

Beyond what year would you not buy a phone?

1983 and newer, the quality started really dropping.

Sometimes you can find 1984 Western Electric, Bell system  telephones. I mainly see this in trimlines.

As of Jan 1 1984 any new phone wasn't supposed to be marked Bell system.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I buy all sorts of phones. I started chasing after Novelty telephones when I started having kids.

Jim

[Greg G.]

I have a couple questions for you phone experts....

1- How does one know how to buy one of these WE or Bell Sys 500 phones on Ebay and not get stuck with junk? Some of these phones go for good $$$ and having to buy a new bezel, etc. just adds on and I don't know how to tell if such thing as a retainer ring is missing or the bezel shattered???

Read Dennis's article on what to look for in 500s:  http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=76

2- How much would you all pay for a WE / Bell Sys. 500? (that doesn't have matching dates nor an original cord?)

"Phones are not Gold!"  I can't remember who said that, maybe Dennis.  I look for the bargains and outright steals.  Only people with bottomless pockets pay boo-koo bucks for phones.  Cheapest 500 set I've bought was less than $5, most expensive was $100.  But I find most of mine locally on Craigslist.   

3- Should I just buy another phone?

Silly question.

4- What do you think about the non matching dates between case and inside parts?

Doesn't bother me, but matching dates are usually more desirable.

[Greg G.]

Beyond what year would you not buy a phone?

I would probably quit the year I die.  Or do you mean the year of the phone?

[jsowers]

Beyond what year would you not buy a phone?

I think the most affordable color 500 sets that are well made are those from 1960-64, but they have clear open center fingerwheels that are damaged easily. Luckily that part is totally visible to the buyer and seller. These phones have hard-wired (not modular) cords. Not as easy to connect to your phone line, but adapters are not that hard to find. A simple wall-mount phone jack on the end of the mounting cord will serve as a cheap adapter.

The late 1960s ones are not bad either and are still hard-wired. Into the 1970s and 80s modular phones you will find things like painted housings and cheaper plastic dials. They're still very sturdy phones. I think yours may have taken a hit sometime in the past, or someone may have replaced or removed the number ring and forgotten to put the retainer back on.

The Bell System was into refurbishing in a big way, so you often as not will see a phone like yours with mixed dates. It's not worthless--they work just as well. Originality is a plus, but it's not necessary.

If you can get the number ring to fit and a retainer ring to go on, you may have a very nice phone there. My mom has one similar to it I found at Goodwill about ten years ago for $5 that she likes a lot. In fact, she found one similar to it for my birthday.

That phone is a red 1971 (refurbished in 1974) 500 set with a 9C dial, and it's still handy, so I took some pictures of it. Pardon the dirt, but I haven't cleaned it up yet. It does have a different dial face on it, with just two small "ears" to hold it fast. Vivi, as long as you have something to catch under the retainer ring, the dial face should stay down OK.

And dial face=number ring=bezel. There are lots of names for the same part on the 500 set.

I took a picture of the retainer ring and the slot in the dial it's supposed to mate with. Then I took a shot of the retainer ring and dial face off the phone. Third shot is the slot the retainer ring goes into. There are three slots like that. They mate up with the three parts of the retainer ring. I think the ring that Kenny has may fit your dial and it's worth a try.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.