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"Gold" WE 500

Started by GTE Rick, November 22, 2016, 08:47:53 PM

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GTE Rick

Found at an Antique store in Snohomish WA, a "gold" Western Electric 500.  I think it might be one of the "Special Order / Presentation Sets" .  The dial plate seems to be clear with the gold applied from behind.  $30... Good deal?
Small in size ... Smart in Style ... and it has a lighted dial.

Kenton K

Good deal! Very cool. Love the bezel

Russ Kirk

I saw a similar one recently on eBay and question if it is original. I recall seeing a gold one in the past and the letters/numbers on the bezel were black, not gold. I wonder if this one was sprayed and not factory. Does anyone know of another example where the letters/nimbers are the same color as th phone?
- Russ Kirk
ATCA & TCI

poplar1

Yes, it looks original to me. The WE Service Centers ordered the clear number plates from the factory, and back painted them in their own paint shops to match the housing and handset. They did this both for these gold 500s and for special orders (for customers who wished to match the color of their fabric, walls, etc.).
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

jsowers

Quote from: Russ Kirk on November 22, 2016, 09:07:58 PM
I saw a similar one recently on eBay and question if it is original. I recall seeing a gold one in the past and the letters/numbers on the bezel were black, not gold. I wonder if this one was sprayed and not factory. Does anyone know of another example where the letters/nimbers are the same color as th phone?

Was the one you saw this 554 that I got in October? It's an oddball to be sure. It's the first one I'd seen with no black on the numbers until Rick posted his 500. Instead of 554 A/B, my phone has F-53116 on it. Is this some kind of experimental 554? It's from 1958 and I don't see anything different inside. It's also pink Tenite under the gold, both handset and housing. I don't mean to hijack this thread and can start a new one on it if anyone wants more pictures. I just wanted to show another example of gold without black letters and numbers.

It could be not all the places that assembled these phones followed the same procedures. We've seen them in different types of gold paint or flashing too. They're not so consistently done to be from the factory in Indianapolis. I think Dave's info about them being done in WE service centers is correct. All the metallic gold phones I've seen look like refurbs or rejects on the inside. And this is the first metallic gold 554 I've seen. Who would they give a wall phone to? A woman retiree?

Pictures attached from the auction. I paid $42 plus shipping for it and it has a huge crack in the housing that's been repaired. From top to bottom on the left side. I only learned that after I opened it up. It may have been repaired before it was flashed. I haven't looked at it closely yet. Rick, I think you got a good deal on your phone.
Jonathan

AL_as_needed

Gold Member Phone!
TWinbrook7

AE_Collector

Logically the clear number plates would have already had either white of black in the numbers/letters and then the paint shop only had to paint everything with the color they wanted the phone to be. But, maybe that is only my logic and the paint shop was to fill the numbers/letters first and consequently that step was missed/skipped on occasion. Waiting fir the white or black to be ready to be painted over with the final color would certainly slow the whole process down, especially on what was likely to be a quick small run do-able in an afternoon otherwise.

JMHO.....Terry

Jim Stettler

I  always felt they clear dials came in 3 standards, white letters, black letters, and and clear letters.They earliest of black 500's had back painted dials.
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The only way I have found unpainted examples of clear dial rings is with clear letters (3 different dial plate styles).
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Given the way Bell System did things, I would expect the service centers could order the clear dial plates with white, black or clear letters. I think the purpose of the clear letters was so that a custom color could be used for the lettering.
I have never seen a back painted dial ring w/o black, white or clear lettering

Just my guess on this subject,
Jim S.


You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

JimH

I have a couple of these gold phones, I have never taken one apart, but what it looks like to me is that the regular number/letter ring is painted gold (or whatever color), and then a clear "cover" with back-painted numbers/letters is placed over the regular painted number/letter ring.  It does not look like the gold paint is on the same part as the numbers/letters.  Does this make sense to anyone? I have a painted metallic gold set, and a shiny gold set (kind of like the Imperials), and they both look this way.
Jim H.

Jim Stettler

Quote from: JimH on November 23, 2016, 04:51:39 PM
I have a couple of these gold phones, I have never taken one apart, but what it looks like to me is that the regular number/letter ring is painted gold (or whatever color), and then a clear "cover" with back-painted numbers/letters is placed over the regular painted number/letter ring.  It does not look like the gold paint is on the same part as the numbers/letters.  Does this make sense to anyone? I have a painted metallic gold set, and a shiny gold set (kind of like the Imperials), and they both look this way.
The clear dial rings I have seen all are embossed with the letter and numbers. You could paint the inside and wipe the excess clean, Then add the back color.  I have an imperial type "flashed" dial. the numbers weren't painted but they stand out. I think this is from "Flashing"

Regarding back-painted dials I have a WE 500 painted gold set with black #'s, and an AE multi-line set painted the same color with an AE back-painted dial ring (black #'s.
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.