Hello all,
I ordered a ITT phone off e-bay for $19.99, expectiing it to be a parts phone. The dial was sluggish, but that isn't the interesting part. the dial card was never put in. The inside is almost spotless, except for the bells needing a polish. there is no rust in it and the line cord looks like it was never screwed into a junction box. It came with a two line hard wire junction box also that was still wrapped. the ITT wiring diagram was included as well as it being in the ITT box WITH its numbers. They had the warranty card as well as instructions to give the phone techncian when he would install it. The box said "ITT Telecommunications" my whole life I have never heard "ITT Telecommunications" only "ITT technical institute". Anyway I am new to this and your guys would be better at decipering this as I am new to this kind of stuff. While its not a western electric, its ITT, was there a lot of extra ITT phones hidden in a wherehouse LOL?
take a look these pics!! :o :o :o
Looks like New Old Stock to me.
The dial just probably needs to be lubricated.
Great find :D
Wouldn't you just love to have access to every telephone office warehouse in the country and take what ever you wanted. FREE.
D/P
I'm shocked and this was so unexpected, I was going to take parts out of it, but I don't think I will now, it's too new and too nice for that. I will lubricate the dial. I think it was just sluggish becuase it sat for 44 years possibly tested once when new! I wish I could find WE phones this nice!! they weren't even that nice when I was a kid! I guess that's how these finds work. Something unassuming that people miss when cleaning out a wherehouse and trying to make a buck not realizing what they are selling. Pretty awesome!!! I think this phone now has a special place in my heart for me!! ;D
This is a very sweet find. It's clearly new and never installed, and it's 43 years old to boot!
ITT was once Kellogg Switchboard and Supply company, started in 1897. They were one of the big phone equipment makers, and eventually made copies of the Western Electric 500. ITT (International Telephone and Telegraph) bought Kellogg in the 50's. Eventually their phone factory in Corinth, Mississippi spun off into it's own company and is now called Cortelco.
Here is their web site:
http://www.cortelco.com/index.html (http://www.cortelco.com/index.html)
Interestingly they made model 500s in rotary dial until 2006. They still make 2500s, 2554s, a no dial 554, and the 3554, which are Western Electric designs from the old days. Even more interestingly they still make a lot of them in the Corinth Mississippi factory, though they have Chinese made versions available as well. I've got a 2008 model 2500 on my desk at work that was made in Mississippi, and these ancient phones are still used in large numbers in business environments that need durability and simplicity. (schools, hospitals, factories, etc)
I have one of these phones date stamped from 66'. It is in great condition with little use. Do these phones hold any value? Any info is appreciated, thanks.