Identifying a Soft Plastic Model 500/554

[Dennis Markham]

I made a series of postings on my web site a while back concerning what to look for when shopping (especially on eBay) for a vintage rotary phone.  You can see Part #5 of the five part series here:

http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/blog/index.php?s=is+it+really+from+1957

Part #5 in that series, titled "Is It Really From 1957" is at the top of the page.  Just work backward to begin with the first article. 

I will recap some things to look for when scanning eBay photos for a nice soft plastic Western Electric model 500 or the wall version, the model 554.  There are some quick clues.

First of all you cannot go by what the seller writes in their listing.  They don't necessarily intend to mislead---they just don't know.  I've seen listings for a 60's 500 that advertise the phone as a 1949 model when they are referring to when the model line began.  Most commonly the seller refers to the date on the bottom if they refer to a date at all.  The date that reads C/D 500 with a month and year code below that.  By now we know that these phones were often refurbished in the field or even taken back to the shop for updated dials, cords, feet, etc.  When I am looking for a 500 I want one that is from the 1950's----I want it to be soft plastic.  I will talk about individual parts that add up to clues about the origin of the phone.

The handset - Is the cord modular or hardwired?  If you can see the under side of the caps, is the center hole missing from both the ear and mouthpiece cap?  They weren't putting modular cords on phones in the 1950's.

The dial ring - Is the opening for the finger stop a thin opening or a wider opening with a support sticking up under the finger stop?  The wider opening was made for the early #7 dials.  A thin opening for the finger stop indicates a #8 or #9 dial.  Certainly not from the 1950's and a sign of a refurbished phone.

The finger wheel - Is the finger wheel the open center wheel or a hard center wheel?  Open center finger wheel with a celluloid covering the dial card is a clue that points to soft plastic sets of the 50's.  But open center finger wheels were used well into the early 1960's---so this is not a single indicator. 

The handset cord - Extending from the handset does the cord have a taper to it, or is it a short squared off stub? The older cords have the stubby end.

The foot pads - Are they suede covered "feet" or are they rubber rectangular feet, or are they round plastic feet.  The latter is a sign of replacement feet and a refurbished phone.  If the feet have been changed more than likely the dial has been changed too...and the handset...and the cords.  Rectangular rubber feet were put on phones from 1958---still soft plastic.

So we think the handset is soft plastic...the caps have a hole missing in the center.  The dial ring indicates a #7 dial, the feet are leather and the cord looks good too.  But that does not mean the case has not been replaced with a later, hard plastic case.  For this the seller must be questioned.  I always ask if they can remove the cover and look on the inside front edge.  Is there a series of numbers there, stamped in what appears to be ink (but is a paint)?  Often yellow or white---but sometimes red.  The number may read for example 1 3 57 3.  Translation of that code is January 03, 1957.  The last "3" indicates it was made on the 3rd shift at the plant that day.  This will always indicate a soft plastic case EXCEPT for those made in 1959 which could go either way after April or May of that year.  Another exception would be a forgery.  On a model 554 the date like that is stamped on an inside edge---usually on one of the sides.  Plastic that is hard plastic was embossed also on the inside, molded right into the plastic.  It will have a letter designation with a line under it and the year below that.  Like a mathematical fraction.....all inside a small circle.  Like C/63.  Made in 1963.

As long as the seller has the cover off, what is the date on the network, the ringer bells and while you're at it will you please give me the date on the back side of the dial mechanism.  It should read similar to the network, ringer and if original the case.  The dial date will read for example, 7C, 1 57 -56.  7C is the dial model number, 1-57, obviously the date and -56 would be the Western Electric color suffix for red.  The color suffix was the color of the dial ring, not necessarily the case/cover of the phone.  On original two-tone phones the dial should have a color suffix of -3 which is black.  The case may be green, or red or blue but the dial ring should be black.  If not -3 then the dial has been changed and it is not an original.  Also, on black phones look at the plungers, or hook-switch buttons.  Early plungers were black Bakelite.  A clear plunger indicates a replacement or later built shell.

If a seller says they don't want to risk opening the phone, move on.  Don't waste your money on something you're not sure about---and don't forget to ask about cracks and chips.

If the stars align you may be able to find yourself a nice soft plastic telephone at a reasonable price.  Even when the stars do line up there is still a degree of chance until you open the box and see for yourself.   And when you do open the box---unscrew the ear cap and put the opening of the handset cavity up to your nose and take a deep breath----soft plastic has a "cheesy" odor to it as the plastic is still out-gassing after all these years.

Have fun in your search.  Some say the hunt is better than the kill.  It is a lot of fun to put all the clues together and finding that perfect vintage phone. 

One last thing---consider the color quality too.  The light colors fade from UV light exposure.  Ask the seller to remove the handset cap and compare the color on the inside of the cap with the color on the outside.  Especially the light colors...aqua looks turquoise, white looks ivory and yellow will turn to a rust color.  There will be a better one---keep looking.

I hope this information is helpful.

[allnumbedup]

I am adding a picture to this very helpful post.  I have this red 500 that is date matched to 10/59 on ebay right now:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/283993214305  ( dead link 02-15-21 )

I think it has an interesting (to this phone nerd at least) marking variation that is consistent with its late 1959 dates.  It is marked in ink on the housing just like a soft plastic model and has the 6/36 hole handset caps without a center hole, but has a very small and hard to read impressed date mark on both the handset caps.  These are impressed with 10/C/1959.  The G3 handset has equally small font but is embossed c/59. I wonder if WE marked the months like they used to do in ink for a while before they went to C/Year embossed circle soon after?