Belated Birthday Present - Soft Plastic Model 500

[Dennis Markham]

I had been to that flea market myself this past winter.  I didn't seem to have much "potential" when I was there.  I walked through it but found nothing close.  I guess timing is everything.

[Dan/Panther]

I had been to that flea market myself this past winter.  I didn't seem to have much "potential" when I was there.  I walked through it but found nothing close.  I guess timing is everything.

Nice try Dennis, I've already made up my mind, I'm coming. I also have a cop friend that lives in Clinton Township, and he's going to make regular runs to that flea market and buy up everything that even looks close to a phone....
D/P

[BDM]

Luck lucky Dennis 

[Dennis Markham]

Dan, you'll have to e-mail me (PM) about your friend in Clinton Twp.  It would be a small world if I knew the person.  I know some of the guys there.  You come anytime....there's a big flea market nearby that runs each Tuesday and Sunday from April to October (outdoors, so weather permitting).  I'll be glad to show you around.  I went this morning.  I saw the same phones that were there on Sunday.  They were there the Sunday before that too.  Today there were two stick phones attached to wooden ringer boxes.  One was a Kellogg, the other a W.E. 150AL with a bulldog transmitter.  The guy wanted $75.  He shows up on Tuesdays.  I don't know enough about them to know if it was a good  buy.  I passed on them.  When in doubt, I keep walking.  I've probably missed some deals that way.

[BDM]

I had been to that flea market myself this past winter.  I didn't seem to have much "potential" when I was there.  I walked through it but found nothing close.  I guess timing is everything.

Nice try Dennis, I've already made up my mind, I'm coming. I also have a cop friend that lives in Clinton Township, and he's going to make regular runs to that flea market and buy uWouldn't be Stan by any chance?p everything that even looks close to a phone....
D/P

DELETED: No, it's not Stan. He's retired.....

[bwanna]

hey d/p
let ME know when you are coming to michigan. i live closer to the flea markets than dennis does. we can beat him there & buy up all the deals first

[Dennis Markham]

Some follow-up information on the green 500 from 1955.

I posted a question to both the ATCA and TCI tonight about the phone, specifically the piece of paper and also the cloth line cord.

Paul F asked if it appeared as though the paper had some adhesive on the back.  He theorized that perhaps the paper fell off from the inside part of the phone after all these years.  An examination of the paper does reveal a dried gummy substance, similar to the glue on an envelope flap.  So that appears to be the case.  He does not believe W.E. would have put such a piece of paper inside the phone but believes perhaps a large company or institution may have had their own internal book keeping system and put the serial number inside there.

Although uncommon, some phones of that vintage were released with the cloth mounting cords.

I decided that I will leave the paper inside the phone so that in 50 more years someone can wonder about it.

[McHeath]

You could print out this thread on the forum and put it in the phone to really confuse someone.

[Dan]

Just got back from vacation--Dennis you are one lucky guy! I still don't have a straight grey cord soft one yet!

[Dennis Markham]

Dan, I am fortunate to have a sister that looks out for me in the phone world!  Welcome back from vacation.  Hope you had some fun.

[Dennis Markham]

I gave myself a Christmas present today by allowing myself to finally work on this "birthday" phone that I got back in July.  Actually I started on it yesterday and after two days it is finished.  I did no sanding on the plastic, just a good cleaning and polishing.  I thought I would share a few photos.  I am going to put together another web album showing all of my work and "before & after shots".  Since there are already "before" shots, I'll just post a few shots of how it looks tonight.  It's plugged in and sitting on the desk to my left, waiting to go back to work as it did nearly fifty-five years ago.  Did I say 55??  Boy that sure sounds like a long time ago!

[LarryInMichigan]

Dennis,

That phone is really beautiful.  It's hard to believe that the plastic was in such great shape.  All of the soft plastic phones I have found have been full of scratches and gouges.  Happy birthday!

Larry

[Dennis Markham]

Thanks Larry.  It was amazing that it cleaned up so nicely.  My birthday was back in April but thanks for the wishes anyway!  I could have started a new posting I suppose, but wanted to keep the "after" photos with the original post.

[Jim Stettler]

Dennis,
Great phone, I have yet to get a set w/ a straight grey handset cord.  Regarding the paper tag: within the last year or so someone on a listserver had a paper tag like that in a soft set. I don't think anything was decided on it.

Regarding the cloth cord, I researched 1 of my sets with a cloth cord. It seems to me that If your cord is long  then that is the proper, issued cord for an earlier set.  I will try to check the referance and see what it says.


Jim S.

[Dennis Markham]

Thanks Jim for checking on the cord.  I thought perhaps it left the factory with either no cord or perhaps the matching gray cord and the cloth cord was installed by the local TelCo.  The strain relief hook is marked II 55 which would be consistent with the April 1955 dates throughout the phone.  However it seems to me that the strain relief was intended for the 300 series phone as rather than a hook to attach to the chassis, it has the large loop that was used in the 300 series phone.  In support of it being there from the origin is the way it was attached and the mark that was left behind.  The ringer mounting screw was placed through the looped strain relief and then screwed to the chassis in the normal manner.  The rubber cushion of the ringer has an indent from the strain relief loop being squeezed down tightly for so many years.

I posted a question to both lists in July when I got this phone asking about the serial type number on the paper insert.  The consensus was that it was something added later by an in-house type of record keeping.  Just for grins I've kept it inside the phone.