News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Red 1955 500 set -- Take a look!

Started by stopthemachine, March 01, 2011, 05:32:35 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

stopthemachine

Hi all,

I just had to share today's win with everyone.  I went on eBay this morning, and I saw an auction...a lot of three phones from WE.  Two of the phones from 1965: a faded white 702B Princess and a green 500.  OK, nothing to write home about, obviously, but then...there was the third phone that caught my eye...

Could it be a true red 500 set from 1955?  Nah!  When do I get that lucky?  (Although I have been on a roll lately--I didn't even show anyone the 3-line GRAY SC 1500 series phone I picked up a couple weeks ago yet.)  I emailed the seller about dates on the phone because I noticed the straight gray handset cord.  (Then, I'm panicking because I thought, "Did WE use gray or black handset cords on these early phones??" I looked online, and as I suspected, they used both.  

After the auction ended, I realized that it should have dawned on me from the pictures that this was the real McCoy when the leather feet are quite apparent on the phone.  Naturally, I won't know until the phone arrives in my hands, but even for the $75 "Buy It Now" plus $16 for s/h, I think that even if the red phone turned out to be a red herring (pardon the color pun), I at least got some decent items in return.  

I hope you enjoy the pix--I know I did!  I want the experts to weigh in with their keen eyes.  It sure looks legit to me.  

Dan


stopthemachine

Thanks--it felt like...no way.  What's the catch?  But it looks like the real thing!  ;D

Kenny C

I think it is and does it have an extra Ivory line cord with the Gray line cord?
In memory of
  Marie B.
1926-2010

stopthemachine

The line cord is confusing me.  It seems to be an ivory one--and I don't know why.  It should be interesting when this bad boy arrives.  Needless to say, I gave my "Please pack my phone in the follow way" speech to the seller.   :-X

Dennis Markham

Looks like you did very well.  That Red phone looks authentic to me.  That straight gray handset cord looks to be in great condition.  There was a time when a gray straight handset cord and matching line cord would add about $100 to one of those early soft plastic phones.  I know when I bought my first one I paid about $175 plus shipping.

That one has a later dial card it looks like.  With an area code.  I may be one of those adhesive cards that is stuck to the outside of the celluloid.  If you're lucky there will be an original dial card under there. 

It makes me nervous to thing of all three of those being packaged in one box.  If it were me I'd tell them to keep the other two and just send me the red one.  Maybe they'll knock off a few bucks and they can sell them again. 

Dennis Markham

Regarding the Ivory cord......back in '06 I bought a Red 500 from eBay.  It had an Ivory handset cord.  It flew under the radar, possibly for that reason and I got it relatively cheap.  I don't recall the price now.

But the Ivory cord intrigued me.  The strain relief on the handset cord matches the rest of the phone.  The phone is dated 6-55 throughout.  I asked the collectors that had been into it a lot longer than me about the Ivory cord.  The consensus is that this would not have left the factory with the Ivory cord but more than likely the subscriber wanted the "new" retractile (coiled) cord and this is the only one the installer had on the truck.  The mounting cord is neutral gray.  I believe it probably came out of the factory with matching straight cords.  There were no other refurbishing marks or replacement parts.

Perhaps the same occurred with the Ivory mounting cord.  I guess you'll determine that once you get your hands on it.

GG



Dude!  Excellent score (how did I miss that listing?!:-) and I agree, that red one's a real one.  I would strongly suggest advising the person you bought those from, to have them packed professionally including wrapping all the handsets in bubble wrap separately from the bases, and even double-boxing the whole lot of 'em in boxes packed tight with peanuts.  A shipping booboo would be a real tragedy. 

BTW, you may have the (or one of the) oldest intact surviving examples of a color 500 around.  So that could be another major piece of history there, and the other ones are nice too.  Congratulations!

stopthemachine

#8
UPDATE
I just received the phone today, and it came in one piece!  (Well, you know what I mean.  Haha.)

I'll post pix as soon as I clean it up a bit, but it actually doesn't need much work.  The Princess phone that came with the set?  THAT is another story: it is the most discolored white Princess--or perhaps any other model phone--I have ever seen.  I might try the 'ol peroxide treatment on it though.  We'll see!

Dan