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NOS WE Manual 302

Started by Doug Rose, May 15, 2017, 07:28:17 AM

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Doug Rose

Jan found a what appears to be a never used Manual 302.  Cloth cords are perfect, but a strange date on the shell. 52046. May 20 1946, but the font and position are off. It is in perfect condition. I was covered with a lot of dust, but you could still see it was a fantastic specimen, all I did was wipe it down....Doug
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mentalstampede

That sure is a nice one, Doug!
My name is Kenn, and I like telephones.

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something." --Robert Heinlein

andre_janew

It is a very nice phone.  I did notice that one bell is painted black and that the date on the base is 6/46.

poplar1

Quote from: andre_janew on May 15, 2017, 05:24:57 PM
It is a very nice phone.  I did notice that one bell is painted black and that the date on the base is 6/46.

The black gong is steel. 302s in 1944 and 1945 were assembled with two painted steel gongs. This was because of "wartime restrictions."

In 1946, they often had one brass gong and one steel gong.
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

Doug Rose

In my haste I did not post pictures of the outside, I will get some posted tomorrow. What about the way the shell is dated? I never saw that before. It cam e with a WE all black dial card. I kept it inside but substituted a real nice manual dial card I had been holding on to....Doug
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Doug Rose

pics
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WEBellSystemChristian

Very nice phone, Doug! Definitely looks unused to me! How many scratches and wear marks are along the sides of the housing, where the handset caps would rub when being set down?

Both of my Indigo 302s from 1946 have date stamps like that. It was probably WE just trying to adjust to date stamping housings. Remember, this was within the first year or so of date stamps ever appearing on WE phone housings (other than the early prewar thermoplastic housings, where it was stamped in big letters across the inside of the back).
Christian Petterson

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

Doug Rose

Christian....no wear marks anywhere on the phone...thanks...Doug
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unbeldi

Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on May 16, 2017, 11:09:05 AM
Very nice phone, Doug! Definitely looks unused to me! How many scratches and wear marks are along the sides of the housing, where the handset caps would rub when being set down?

Both of my Indigo 302s from 1946 have date stamps like that. It was probably WE just trying to adjust to date stamping housings. Remember, this was within the first year or so of date stamps ever appearing on WE phone housings (other than the early prewar thermoplastic housings, where it was stamped in big letters across the inside of the back).

The housings in late 1941 already had small date stamps in white ink at the front edge of the housing, not any more the large ones in the rear as mentioned.  Metal housings also had dates starting ca. Q1 1938.

The variation after the war may perhaps be attributed to the multiple manufacturing places where 302s, or their parts were made.

Doug Rose

#9
Quote from: Doug Rose on May 16, 2017, 12:10:22 PM
Christian....no wear marks anywhere on the phone...thanks...Doug
Christian....in sept 1946 I have the  month  in writing, but still on the right hand side...Doug
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Doug Rose

Well, space is an issue, no surprise there  8) so I am selling this outstanding SEVENTY year old phone. It appears to be NOS with just a very minor marks from being stored and moved around for all this time. But you decide as it was not in its original box

Tis a beaut!!....Doug

http://www.ebay.com/itm/292213774680?
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