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1958 WE 500 Red--Soft Plastic

Started by WEBellSystemChristian, July 24, 2014, 05:53:03 PM

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WEBellSystemChristian

My latest eBay find: 1958 Western Electric 500 in red. Since I just bought it, I don't have any inside pictures, so the grainy ebay photos will have to do. It appears that the seller did his 500 homework, or at least tried looking for the dates. It appears that the whole phone is 1958, with the blank-center handset caps and appear-to-be '58 handset and housing dates.

What would the handset cord have looked like in 1958? Would it have looked like the shrimpy-looking early '60s version, or the mid-fifties thicker, sturdy coiled type?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221503669228

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EDIT:  For the record, $45.00 plus $19.55 shipping
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

WesternElectricBen

#1
Nice find, it should clean up well. My 1958 red 500, practically the same thing has fat cords. View the previous topic here: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10997.0

It's good the person knows his phones, because his name is "phonebucket12."

Ben

DiaLen

Okay. So now I'm excited.  ;D
My RED 1956 WE 500 showed up on the front porch today.
I've been looking at the photos posted here on these soft plastic beauties and really liked them.
A few days ago I was lucky enough to stumble across one on the Etsy website (which I didn't even know existed before I joined this forum. Thank you everyone!). I immediately jumped on it, something I won't usually do, and am now glad I did.
I know it needs some work, but it's going to be a beauty!
-Len

Be faithful to the commitments of your life.

jsowers

Len, your red 500 looks to be in really good shape. I hope you got it for a bargain price. If you're interested in originality, there are two things not original to this phone--the handset cord and the 4-prong plug. The cord isn't that big a problem, but you may notice it's not exactly the same red as the mounting cord. A minor issue. The mounting cord looks to be original. You may notice a 56 on the strain relief clamp.

If you're going to use the phone, then the long handset cord could be a plus. For display, it could get in the way. If I were to display it, I'd take the 4-prong plug off and use it on a mid-1960s phone. It's perfectly fine to just have spades showing on the cord. That's how it came out of the box.

I hope I didn't burst your bubble and that you're still excited. Post some photos of it after you've shined it up.
Jonathan

DiaLen

#4
Thanks for the feedback Jonathan. I do appreciate it.
I knew I should replace the handset cord. In fact I've already communicated with Mark at Old Phone Shop and he does have an original handset cord available.
I am a bit surprised about the plug. It does have the "Bell System" logo on the back side and "Bell System property not for sale" embossed on the prong side.
Maybe you're saying it should have been red?
Anyhow, thank you for helping me figure out what I've got. The more I look at it, the more I like it!
-Len
Be faithful to the commitments of your life.

jsowers

Those round 505A plugs came along about 1965, about ten years after your phone was made. Many were attached later in life, but originally they would have used a 283B cube-shaped plug in 1956, or just spades hard-wired to the wall. I'm glad you're replacing the handset cord. It should look really good after that.
Jonathan

DiaLen

I understand.
Thanks. I'll probably live with the plug even though it's not original. It is an authentic Bell plug and I have to keep the cost of this hobby at a level acceptable to my better half.  :-[
The cord must get replaced so that's what I'll go for.
-Len
Be faithful to the commitments of your life.

WEBellSystemChristian

Very nice find! Sure looks better than mine; doesn't look much better to this day!  ;D

I think this phone needing 'work' is an overstatement. I think it just needs a good polish and you're good to go! :)
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

DiaLen

Thanks Christian.
I've been cleaning and polishing this afternoon. It's going to be one I'm proud to own, that's for sure.
-Len
Be faithful to the commitments of your life.