Auction 201: WE 1955 Soft Plastic Rose Beige 500 - Ended 01/31/16

[TelePlay]

New forum members are very welcome and encouraged to take a guess. After all, there are no wrong guesses, just one lucky one. No one knows the winning bid on any auction until it ends. However, it is important to get your guess in before someone else grabs your guess.

Just listed in a 7 day auction with no reserve and starting at $79.99 is an October 1955Rose Beige WE 500 with a straight grey handset cord and a gray line cord, all in very nice condition. The seller posted great pictures, most of which are added to this contest topic, which describe the phone well. Also including in the listing is a long and detailed seller description of the phone. So, we have an interesting contest phone to start the next 100 contests. Within the first hour of being listed, the phone has received 2 bids and is up to a very high $81, I'm sure it will go higher. The question, as always, is what is someone willing to pay for this phone to take it home and which forum member will place a guess closest to that amount?

NOTE: we will use a $5 gap rule between guesses again to prevent crowding. As such, keep your guess at least $5 away from prior guesses for this contest.

The seller listed it as an "1955 Western Electric Model 500D - Rose Beige - Matching Dates", the item condition as "Used" and "Beautiful telephone in extraordinary used condition, considering it is 60 years old!" and with the auction listing description saying

"From my collection is this very beautiful Western Electric Model 500D rotary dial telephone.  The color is Rose Beige, sometimes called Dark Beige or Rosewood Beige.  Western Electric produced phones in this color for just a short period of time.  It began production in 1954 and the model was discontinued in 1957.

I have tried to take as many photographs as possible to show the condition of this phone.  It is in remarkable condition for a telephone that has survived for over 60 years.  It is not without some light signs of use from those years.  There are no cracks or breaks in any of the "soft plastic" (Tenite) pieces.

I will describe the phone as best as I can but please, if you are interested and have any questions, please contact me and I will be glad to answer any questions left in your mind or provide additional photos.

All dated parts of this phone are consistent with October of 1955.  You will notice that the handset cord and mounting cord are both the early neutral gray color.  The handset cord is the early straight handset cord.  A short time later phones were all decked out in the "new" coiled cords.  Later, on this Dark Beige model the color of those cords matched the plastic color.  Generally speaking collectors prefer the early, neutral gray cord.  I know I always did when I was shopping for another phone to add to my collection.  Often over time the plastic will darken or discolor from years of exposure to ultra violet light.  If anything, this phone has lightened a bit.  Notice that the letters/numbers of the dial bezel are white in color.  A regular, "Light Beige" phone from this era (and much more common) has black letters/numbers.  You can clearly see the housing date of October 4, 1955.  Also visible in my photos are dates of the ringer (10-'55), the network (10-'55), the model 7C dial is dated 10-55 and the color suffix of -55 shows that it was intended to be installed on a Rose Beige telephone.  Both cords are dated '55 on their strain relief.  The mounting cord is a very long, 9 feet.  At the end of that cord is an original 283B 4-prong wall plug that is very close in color to the telephone.  I can provide a modular plug for this cord if the winner buyer wold like.

You will also notice the handset dates are consistent from 10-'55 except for the transmitter cap which appears to be dated 9-'55, consistent with a telephone manufactured in early October.  The handset element dates (transmitter and receiver pieces) are both dated 10-7-55.  Please note that the handset cord strain relief inside the handset transmit cavity is the early type, with a small piece that holds the cord into place.  The original open center finger wheel has an original clear, celluloid disc.  Beneath that disc is an original "exchange name" dial card.  It is not a reproduction card.

Looking at the bottom of the telephone one can see that the suede footpads are in excellent condition with no rips or tears.  The date of 10-'55 is clearly visible.  Also the photo shows that the phone "under the hood" is in excellent, clean condition.  For you collectors, note that the black ringer wire is attached to the "G" terminal just as it was back in 1955.  In order to make the phone ring in this configuration, I have attached the yellow and green wires together inside the 4 prong plug so that it will ring.  I cleaned each spade tip of each wire with a small wire brush to ensure good electrical conductivity.

I completely cleaned and polished this phone.  It was not sanded nor was there any artificial substances used to enhance the beauty of this phone, with the exception of Novus 2 polish which I use on all of my phones to make them shine for display.

The phone has been tested and works as it was intended decades ago.  The ringer is strong and loud.  The dial mechanism has been cleaned and lightly lubricated in specific areas to ensure that it will work for many years to come.."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/191791175208

It's another chance to move up a rung or to get onto the CRPF -> Contest Standings <- list,

     . . . for as twocvbloke said,   ---> "You gotta be in it to win it !!!" "

If you want to see the phones of past Auction Contests, click -> HERE <-


S C O R E B O A R D

$     85.00 - Dennis Markham  ( 10 ) ($83, )
$   242.59 - Buzby  ( 5 )
$   285.00 - Fabius  ( 1 )
$   300.00 - kleinkaliber  ( 16 )
$   340.00 - Jim S.  ( 13 )
$   370.00 - andre_janew  ( 17 )
$   400.00 - compubit  ( 15 )
$   425.00 - tallguy58  ( 18 )
$   490.00 - TelePlay  ( 19 )
$   555.00 - Autonut  ( 8 )
$   575.00 - JimH  ( 2 )
$   599.00 - WesternElectricBen  ( 3 )
$   650.00 - HarrySmith  ( 14 )
$   690.00 - david@london  ( 9 )  -> WINNER - Final Selling Price $698.88
$   725.00 - Mr. Bones  ( 6 )
$   750.00 - RotarDad  ( 4 )
$   830.00 - Russ Kirk  ( 7 )
$   900.00 - wds  ( 12 )
$1,259.00 - zapper  ( 11 )

Early Morning Auction Status

01-24-16      Listed     $    79.99
01-25-16      4 bids     $    85.00
01-26-16      8 bids     $  137.50
01-27-16    11 bids     $  152.50
01-28-16    11 bids     $  152.50
01-29-16    16 bids     $  184.50
01-30-16    17 bids     $  190.00
01-31-16    17 bids     $  190.00
01-31-16   17 bidders, 28 bids $698.88  Ended at 17:53:21 PST

[Fabius]

$285, The excellent pictures will boost the price.

[JimH]

Nice one!  Straight handset cords usually bring more $$. 

Put me down for $575

Jim

[Buzby]

$227.75

[WesternElectricBen]

Oh, she's a beauty; I am going to go 'dream phone' price of $599.

Ben

[RotarDad]

I don't normally vote in these, but I like the condition, relative rarity, and presentation of this phone.  I think it will go pretty high.  I'll say $750.

[Buzby]

$242.59

[unbeldi]

Just curious that the seller thinks that the 283B plug is original on that cord.
I would think it was attached much later. The plug was only available in ivory and brown in the 1950s, I believe.  It is probably a 283B-42, I never seen a reference to a 283B-55.

[Mr. Bones]

$750.00 $725.00 for me, please.

Thanks, John!

Best regards!

[poplar1]

Just curious that the seller thinks that the 283B plug is original on that cord.
I would think it was attached much later. The plug was only available in ivory and brown in the 1950s, I believe.  It is probably a 283B-42, I never seen a reference to a 283B-55.

283B was still available in --6 (old brass) color in 1950, according to Catalog #11. But that was, like ivory and brown, to match the jack color, not the phone color. Plugs to match the phone didn't appear until sometime between 1962 and 1967, long after the -55 rose beige color was discontinued (1957).

Here is another beige (?) plug, added by Jester to a dark beige 500:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1435.msg20127#msg20127

And here is a -42 color 283B plug--which matched the inside wire and 404B jacks of the late 50s.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1804.msg126706#msg126706

[Russ Kirk]

$830

[.....]

$555.00

[david@london]

$690

[Dennis Markham]

Just curious that the seller thinks that the 283B plug is original on that cord.
I would think it was attached much later. The plug was only available in ivory and brown in the 1950s, I believe.  It is probably a 283B-42, I never seen a reference to a 283B-55.

The listing is mine.  I did not know John (Teleplay) was going to make it an Auction Contest.  He didn't know it was my phone until after he posted it here last night.  With regard to the 4 prong plug, I mention in the listing that it is "AN original" plug.  What I meant was that it isn't one of those cheap Japanese after-market plugs.  That plug was on this phone when I acquired the phone.  I didn't mean to imply that it was original to THAT phone in 1955.  I mentioned matter of factly that it does somewhat match the color of the phone (as opposed to a contrasting color).
Hope that clears up the 4 prong plug question.  My guess on what it will sell for is $83.00.

Good luck on the guesses, gang.

~Dennis

[zapper]

A Beautiful Phone!
$1259..00
Zapper