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'59 Grey 500

Started by TelePlay, October 05, 2013, 07:58:51 PM

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TelePlay

Anyone watching this auction? Anyone add it to their collection?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/251348625555

Just sold for $171.50 plus $9.95 shipping with 8 bidders and 11 bids. Other than not having suede feet, a seemingly very nice phone if it is soft plastic. As so typical of these desireable phones, a first time bidder to the auction came in at the last second to win the phone.

Seller listed it as "Rare 1959 Gray Western Electric Rotary Dial Desk Phone C/D 500" and said "Up for bid a rare color vintage 1959 Gray Western Electric Rotary dial phone. Has a 12-59 date on the bottom and the network. The vintage Gray rotary dial phone has been tested and is in perfect working condition. Sends and receives calls, as it should. Ringer works fine. There is a ringer volume control on the bottom of the phone. The Gray phone is in wonderful and cleaned condition. A few very light scratches on the Gray shell cover and Gray hardwired G3 handset. Both shell cover and handset are still extremely shiny with no fading to either. The Gray rotary dial face is in nice condition as are the Black numbers, letters, and dots on the dial face.(see photo of the dial face). The rotary dial works great, does not stick when dialing. The plastic finger wheel is in nice condition. The Gray hardwired curly handset cord is in nice condition with no stretched out area's.(many of these are stretched out of shape). The original Gray round line cord has modular plug, so the phone is ready to use when you plug it into your wall phone jack. The bottom of the phone is in good condition as are the four feet. I have taken 12 photo's, so please look at all 12. Simply a wonderful and rare vintage 1959 Gray Western Electric rotary dial phone to use and display."[/color]

HarrySmith

I was watching it but decided with the plastic feet & the December production it would probably not be soft plastic.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

RotarDad

Saw this one.  It has a #9 dial which may mean refurbished.  Also 12-59 would be abs hard plastic as the transition occurred in mid-'59, I believe.  No work needed to clean it up though!
Paul

unbeldi

#3
Quote from: TelePlay on October 05, 2013, 07:58:51 PM
Anyone watching this auction? Anyone add it to their collection?

Yes, I saw the auction a few days ago and frankly the result is a bit surprising. But it's not the facts that determine the price, but what someone is willing to pay for them at any given time.

This phone is a refurb. The dial is a later #9, not the #7 that should have been on this phone. It also seems to be the ringer may have been replaced. I think a 1959 ringer still had the date stamped on in ink, whereas the one in this phone has it punched into the metal. It's hard to see what it reads, but I think it's 69, not 59.

unbeldi

#4
Quote from: RotarDad on October 05, 2013, 08:07:57 PM
Saw this one.  It has a #9 dial which may mean refurbished.  Also 12-59 would be abs hard plastic as the transition occurred in mid-'59, I believe.  No work needed to clean it up though!

Almost any time in 1959 one may find a mixture of Tenite and ABS plastic parts by my observations, but essentially by the end of the year, the transition should indeed be complete. The plastic feet started appearing around October 1958.

But since the dial has been replaced later, the chances are the entire housing is a much later model as well, and this phone may not even have been a gray set in 1959. My 1959 gray handset cords look a lot thicker than this one.

TelePlay

Quote from: unbeldi on October 05, 2013, 08:11:10 PMIt also seems to be the ringer may have been replaced. I think a 1959 ringer still had the date stamped on in ink, whereas the one in this phone has it punched into the metal. It's hard to see what it reads, but I think it's 69, to 59.

Yes, I sort of saw that (hard to see) so since you mentioned it, I did a little embossing on the ringer date and it sure looks like it says "69."

jsowers

Quote from: unbeldi on October 05, 2013, 08:16:03 PM
The plastic feet started appearing around October 1958.

Neoprene feet started appearing in August, 1958. The month and year I was born. I have many phones from 8-58 and some have suede feet and some have Neoprene. I've also seen a bill insert from 8-58 that announced the change. Just wanted to set the record straight, again.

You're correct about the plastics being ABS. About the only part that could have still been soft plastic by 12-59 was the dial face and that's been replaced on this phone.
Jonathan

unbeldi

Quote from: jsowers on October 05, 2013, 09:33:46 PM
Neoprene feet started appearing in August, 1958.
Thank you... updated my timeline with reference.