Such a cutie! Western Electric 5302

[deedubya3800]

Back in July, my wife and I went up to Omaha for a concert. Our daughter and my sister went with us, and we all spent two days at the zoo. I was searching for some other fun things to do while we were there and I spotted a listing for an indoor flea market, and it was just a mile from our hotel!

I was hoping to find a phone of some sort, and the first thing that caught my eye upon entering the building was a little black desk set sitting prominently front-and-center on top of a stereo in a booth selling mostly old TV and radio equipment. I knew exactly what it was as soon as I saw the short butt and 500-style number ring. I couldn't believe it! I had read so much about these, but never thought I would find one, especially not in such decent condition.

The man told me he wasn't sure what it was because he doesn't usually sell phones, but it had been included in some other stuff he bought from someone else. I picked it up (gosh, heavy!) and turned it over and sure enough, it was stamped in silver, 5302G. It was dusty and had a very light dusting of white paint in places, the number card window was broken, and there was a small crack in a back corner, but he was able to demonstrate that it was working perfectly (except for the ringer).

When he told me he only wanted $10 I knew immediately it was going in my car, regardless of what was wrong with it. He even threw in a four-prong-to-modular adaptor! My wife wasn't too happy about it, but I reminded her how important she said herself it is to have a hobby.

After we got back home, I had to set it aside for a couple of weeks before I could do anything with it, but once I had time, I took it apart and started cleaning it. The paint came off easily, and other than a lot of dust on and in it, there really wasn't much wrong. I noticed a wire disconnected inside it that I traced to the ringer, and using a 302 wiring chart I found online, I had the ringer working in minutes!

The base is dated 11/46, the IND 101A coil IV 46, and the ringer 10-55. I'm guessing most 5302's have non-matching ringers since they are modified to be adjustable. It is interesting how they remove one bell from the ringer, bend back its mounting point, and reinstall it on a little adjusting mechanism for the 5302. It just seems like one of those "Why didn't we think of that earlier?" kind of things.

It was thanks to information I found on this forum that I was able to use a hair dryer to loosen the handset caps. It has a bakelite G1 handset with the U1 and T1 elements. The handset and cord are dated 59, the caps are both dated 12-59, the transmitter 12 14 59, and the receiver 12 15 59. The line cord is dated 60 and the shell is dated 1 5 60. I'm guessing the 302-to-5302 conversion was performed in 1-60 with a 1946 302 and all new 5302 parts.

Based on the numbers printed on cards hidden in the holder, it seems this phone was used in Birmingham, Alabama. It carries the Bell System name on the back of the shell. It amazes me how the cords and even the feet are still in such good shape. There's really not any paint missing from the dial to speak of.

Since it's such a good used "original" (as original as 5302's come) and it dials, rings, and sounds so good both in and out, I see no need in replacing anything other than the number car window. I'm going to leave this one as is and keep it on my desk for the rare times when I actually use a landline phone.

[Dennis Markham]

Nice story and a nice pick-up of the 5203G.  You can't go wrong for $10.

Is the ringer ringing nice and strong?  I notice in the photo that the little bias tension spring is off to one side.  Often the work best when placed in the center notch.  But if it's ringing good, don't mess with it.  Just a thought. 

Nice job on the clean-up.  You have yourself a nice phone.  Congratulations!

[Dan]

I love the 5302's with the G1 handsets. I love the ring of the 302 and the comfort of a 500 G-1 handset. You can't go wrong with this. Great buy!

[deedubya3800]

The ringer is loud and very balanced-sounding. The only things I did to it were to remove gobs of dust from the bells and between the coils, and reconnect the wire going to post K, which had been undone and laid loose between the ringer and the network.

I have to ask if anyone has ever noticed the peculiar wear pattern a 5302 puts on the handle of a G-series handset. Because of the cradle design, which has a recess in the middle to steady an F-series, a G-series will rest on the little notches outside that recess and get worn in four points on the underside edges of the handle.

[LarryInMichigan]

I have to ask if anyone has ever noticed the peculiar wear pattern a 5302 puts on the handle of a G-series handset.

I just looked at the G1 on my 5302, and I did not see any peculiar wear pattern.

Larry

[deedubya3800]

Here are a couple (bad) pictures to illustrate what I'm talking about. The first picture shows the notches in the cradle on which the G1 handset rests, and the second shows the worn spots on the handset from those notches.

[Kenny C]

that is very small wear compared to some handsets i have 

[Greg G.]

When he told me he only wanted $10 I knew immediately it was going in my car, regardless of what was wrong with it. He even threw in a four-prong-to-modular adaptor!

That adaptor by itself was worth the price of admission.  They're hard to find in the wild, and the rare times I see one for less than $10, I snatch it up.  Ebay has them for $11.50 + shipping and Phoneco sells them for $10 + shipping.

[deedubya3800]

Ebay has them for $11.50 + shipping and Phoneco sells them for $10 + shipping.

Oldphoneworks has that exact one for $7.99. Their shipping starts a little higher, but I'm needing a few other things they have, so I may just get one because I know I'm gonna need it, especially if I get another phone from that era. I don't like modifying things needlessly.

[McHeath]

That's a nice phone for a great price!  The 5302s are a unique part of the Bell System history, a reuse of an old phone well into the era when it was "obsolete".  Not sure that any company could get away with this today, repackaging an old product with a new case, but it was a different era.  What's really neat about you phone is that it was made a year after WW2 ended and was then remade around 1960 and is still totally useable today.

[Kenny C]

has any one noticed that steel gongs make a different sound than a brass gong?

[bingster]

Deedubya, it's a strange fact that the hard bakelite can be worn down by the much softer plastic of the base, but it does happen.  F1 handsets which are well-used, show definite grooves on the underside of the handset because of the 302's cradle, for example. 

[deedubya3800]

Hey, Larry, I noticed in another thread that your 5302 has a very similar set of dates to mine. Thought that seemed interesting. It seems a lot of people who sell them don't realize that there are at least two important dates on a 5302: Base plate and shell, plus any others. It fascinates me how mine only spent 13 years as a 302, and the past 50 as a 5302!

[deedubya3800]

I love the 5302's with the G1 handsets. I love the ring of the 302 and the comfort of a 500 G-1 handset. You can't go wrong with this. Great buy!

Since I just got a 302 yesterday, I set it next to this one to compare (naturally) and picked up the handsets to see what an F1 looks like on the 5302. I don't like it. At all. It's too long, too loose, and it just looks weird. I say, if you're going to wear the coat, you need the hat to match.

[Kenny C]

mine has an F1 I find those more comfortable than a G1