WE 591 vs 500 Value

[LarryInMichigan]

Is a soft plastic WE 591, which has "Western Electric" without "Bell System" on the shell worth and "591" on the base more than an otherwise identical 500?  If so, how much more is it worth?

Larry

[JorgeAmely]

Larry, that is a very good question. In my collection, I have only one 591. That makes it more rare to me and perhaps more valuable than the the rest of the 500 series. It represents the effort WE made to reach independent phone companies. Maybe Paul F can throw in some numbers regarding how many were produced versus how many were created for the Bell system.

It would be interesting to know if they were created in colors other than black.

[LarryInMichigan]

I have a moss green soft plastic 591 which I might sell, so I would like to know if it is worth more than a similar 500.

Larry

[jsowers]

The 591 was available in all the colors but I'm not sure how long it was available nor how early, so it may not be available in the darker original colors. I have a pink 591 and an aqua blue one. Possibly more. The wall counterpart to the 591 is the 593 and I have only one of those and it's ivory. Paul has it pictured on his site.

I've seen ITT/Kellogg 591s too.

A 591 is the same phone as a 500 set inside, but supplied without a ringer and meant for non-Bell System telcos. I'm not sure it would be worth more to the average person, but maybe to a collector it would.

[paul-f]

Maybe Paul F can throw in some numbers regarding how many were produced versus how many were created for the Bell system.

I haven't run across any detailed manufacturing numbers yet.  I suspect 591s were less than 10% the production of 500Ds -- but that's still a lot of phones.  They don't seem scarce enough to command much of a premium.  Most of us know that we'll eventually find one if we're patient.

The 593s (wall model) seem a lot harder to find, and may be worth more than a 554 to enough people to make a difference.

[G-Man]

The 591 was available in all the colors but I'm not sure how long it was available nor how early, so it may not be available in the darker original colors. I have a pink 591 and an aqua blue one. Possibly more. The wall counterpart to the 591 is the 593 and I have only one of those and it's ivory. Paul has it pictured on his site.

I've seen ITT/Kellogg 591s too.

A 591 is the same phone as a 500 set inside, but supplied without a ringer and meant for non-Bell System telcos. I'm not sure it would be worth more to the average person, but maybe to a collector it would.

I have a number of Western Electric 591/593 telephone sets in my collection but I have to agree with Paul Fassbender's assessment as to their rarity- they're not.

Independent telephone companies and others had the choice of ordering  a standard 500C/DRW (equipped with ringer) or a 591A/BRW (shipped less ringer) from Western Electric allowing independents to install their own frequency ringers.

However, I am not aware of ITT producing an equivalent 591 coded telephone. Instead, to order an equivalent black telephone set from them, the following codes were used:

Basic Model- 500
Color (black) - 00
Ringer (none) - OLR
Features (none) - 30
Dial (Metropolitan) - M

But perhaps I have missed seeing references to ITT 591-coded sets.

If an independent wanted to order frequency ringers from Western Electric, they were provided with specially designed ringers from United States Instruments which was eventually purchased by Stromberg Carlson.

Western Electric 591 sets were initially (latter expanded) made in the following colors:

Black (One of the two initial colors offered for the 593)
Ivory   (One of the two initial colors offered for the 593)
Green
Gray
Red
Brown
Beige
Yellow

[LarryInMichigan]

I have a turquoise Kellogg/ITT 591.  I posted about it here: forum link.

Larry

[G-Man]

I have a turquoise Kellogg/ITT 591.  I posted about it here: forum link.

Larry

Hi Larry-

I believe what you actually have is a set that was refurbished either in a shop or by an individual, using Kellogg K-500-series plastics with a Western Electric 591 base.

It also appears as if they may have changed the network and/or switchook judging by the rivets that were removed and replaced with screws. It would be interesting to see photos of the inside.

Mix-and-Match was not an uncommon practice by the refurbish shops.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/180826910821

[Adam]

This hasn't been mentioned on this board in a while, but everyone, please try to remember, those long URLs break the page for some of us using certain browsers.  Please always shorten URLs posted here.  Thank you.

[jsowers]

If Larry's is a refurb, then mine is too. But I don't think either one is refurbished. The base on mine didn't come from WE. The network is different and also attached with nuts and bolts. Look at my pictures and see for yourself. Larry's is from 1959 and mine is from 1957, but they're the same color plastics. Mine looks like it has a replaced S-C ringer--it was in there when I got it in 2007.

The stamp on the bottom is an ITT/Kellogg stamp and the components inside, save for the bell, which didn't come installed, are ITT/Kellogg too. I'm no expert, but it looks like it was originally made this way to me.

I also have one of these in light green from 1960. It has Neoprene feet and the "loud" on the bottom is incised in the metal, but otherwise looks the same and has a similar 591 mark. It also doesn't have a ringer. If you want pictures of that one, I have them.

[G-Man]

Johnathan-

You have a very nice looking set that seems to have matched components and I doubt it was sent through a refurbisher.

I still have not been able to find a Kellogg 591 set listed in their catalogs or service manuals. Perhaps others have such documentation.

[Adam]

I, too, have never seen an ITT 591 in any catalogue.  However, those DK591 markings are definitely original ITT factory markings.

[jsowers]

FYI, here's the light green one, from 1960. It required a bleach bath before I could get all the grime and fading out, and the residue from the funeral home sticker on the handset. I'm not sure why both the color Kelloggs I have are 591s. I knew they were somewhat rare, but the main reason I wanted them was the color was not anything WE offered.

The turquoise one I posted earlier has a big crack in the front, under the 9 on the dial. 

Some of these pictures are before cleaning and some are after. I didn't want Dennis to be concerned that I left all that dust on the switchhook.    An odd place for dust, BTW.

[Adam]

Yep.  That's also an official factory ITT model number stamping.

[LarryInMichigan]

My Kellogg/ITT 591 has the same sort of stamp on the bottom.

Larry