SHOW US YOUR CONTINENTALS & IMPERIALS!!

[Pourme]

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I bought what I believe to be a WE Continental on EBAY today. It's a odd color and I'm investigating the colors of Continentals, as issued by WE. I couldn't find a thread where members exclusively post pictures and comments on their personal Continentals & Imperials. Mods, if I missed it, sorry.  I would love to see your pics & hear your comments & stories!

Which led me to ask you......

SHOW US YOUR CONTINENTALS & IMPERIALS!!

Show us pictures of you believe is a genuine Western Electric Continentals & Imperials, as issued.
If there is question that they may or may be authentic, share that as well. There should be some knowledge here to share. I for one am very interested in these particular phones and how they help tell the WE story. I'm eager to learn more.

Meanwhile, here are some pics of some of my Continentals & Imperials. (The one I just purchased and wonder about in pic #1. I will start a separate thread for it when it arrives.)

Can't wait to see yours!

Benny

[Jim Stettler]

Here are 2 copper D1 sets I have owned. I traded the retirement set and still own the other set. I have heard of 1 other of theses copper sets. It looks like the second phone. The plunger on the 2nd phone is the same as the first.


Something to note is that all three of these sets had cheap plastic white handset cords w/o conductors. I assume that originally they were used in a display.
Jim S.

I also added a polished D! this set was stripped and polished. Sometimes they turn out like this, sometimes like your's and sometimes they need to be repainted.

[Jim Stettler]

Pic 1 reminds me of a stripped set from Doug Rose. I await Doug's thought.
Jim S.

[Doug Rose]

Benny....I like the one you won from John, it is similar to one I have that is brass colored with black accents, making it look like it is old brass with a green thermoplastic handset.

Jim S is this the phone you were think of?..Doug

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10498.msg111543#msg111543

[Doug Rose]

This is not real, but a painstaking Statuary Bronze paint by Mark Scola. A great friend to Telephone collectors. A great friend to me. Mark left us way too soon. They certainly didn't come any better than Mark. A very generous friend...Doug

[Pourme]

Benny....I like the one you won from John, it is similar to one I have that is brass colored with black accents, making it look like it is old brass with a green thermoplastic handset.

Jim S is this the phone you were think of?..Doug

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10498.msg111543#msg111543

That does look like the one I got from John....what did WE call that color?
Would that be old brass?

[Jim Stettler]

Benny....I like the one you won from John, it is similar to one I have that is brass colored with black accents, making it look like it is old brass with a green thermoplastic handset.

Jim S is this the phone you were think of?..Doug

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=10498.msg111543#msg111543

I am thinking of a stripped D1 with a dark finish vs shiny finish.

Regarding you D1.
I have a similar set . Mine looks like a pewter finish pewter. It has straight tinted cords and a green F1.
Jim S.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Okay, I'll bite!

I only had time to clean one up and take pictures, so I'm going with my Pekin Red Continental. Other than one 1/2" paint chip on the front edge, this looks almost new. Everything's original except for the fingerwheel (came to me with a solid center).

[Pourme]

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Thanks for sharing, Christian. Very nice Continental.  Peking Red is the color I am currently looking for.

Someone help me out. I have searched this forum and TCI library. I once saw a member's Continental collection that had most, if not all the colors. I can't find it again. I also couldn't find anything in TCI. I think there were 10 colors of Continentals.

It's my understanding WE made a Cherry Red and a Peking Red Continental. Is this true? Christian, yours looks like a Cherry Red as Peking Red has a orange tint. 

Does anybody have any documentation of the colors...pictures?

EDIT:

I found this, posted by Dennis in 2012

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=7302.0

Here are the colors as listed by Doug on the same thread:

These are the colors I have in the Contintental sets

Ivory
Blood Red
Pekin red
Blue
Green
Old Rose
Gold
Old Brass
Statuary Bronze
Oxidized Silver
Metallic Gold
Never painted looks Pewter in color / Green Thermoplastic handset

Black

Imperial sets


Imperial  Brass   Ivory Thermoplastic handset
Imperial Silver    Ivory Thermoplastic handset
Nickel plate        Blue Thermoplatic handset
Brass plate

[Doug Rose]

Dennis' set of Continentals is just tremendous! Best I have ever seen...Doug

[FABphones]

Nice pics. There are half a dozen phones on this thread that I really really like. I wouldn't know where to start re adding any of these to my collection. Very nice.

[SUnset2]

This one is not uncommon, but it was new old stock when I got it, and there is no wear on the finish.

[Pourme]

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A NOS gold Imperial, what a great phone for any collection!

I noticed the bottom cover appears to be brown leather like the Continentals instead of ivory 'Naugahyde'.

Thanks for posting!

[Doug Rose]

Okay, I'll bite!

I only had time to clean one up and take pictures, so I'm going with my Pekin Red Continental. Other than one 1/2" paint chip on the front edge, this looks almost new. Everything's original except for the fingerwheel (came to me with a solid center).

I love the WE Pekin Red color! It is a strange one though, as it looks reddish orange in the thermoplastic 302 but orangy Red in the painted 202 version....Doug