Won the bid for my 2nd 500 on ebay last night. Paid a bit more then i wanted, but this one was tested and is in working condition.. or atleast it is supposed to be. Its a refurb in 1972, but it looks like it was originally dated 1960, with a mouth piece dated 1956 and ear piece dated 1959. Once i get it, i'll find out the other dates. http://www.ebay.com/itm/150851756422?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_720wt_1118 Hopefully this goes better then my last purchase..
I love 500's, the pics aren't too big, but I hope its slightly better than my black 500 all the way from Michigan.
Its old and battered but still works like a peach, I wouldn't refub it atall - it just plugs and plays.
I did modify it with an extra-long handset cord from PhoneCo as you can see.
Thats defiantly a nice one. I just dont really like the plastic finger wheels. I like the metal ones. Although i will eventually get me a desk phone with a plastic finger wheel once i get a working 500 with a metal finger wheel. I wont refurb a phone either, all i will do is replace a non working part and re wire it if need be.
If you get a color 500 then all of them had clear finger wheels. The black dials had metal finger wheels until about late 1964.
Just had a look at the base, there is an impression barely discernable at the leading edge of the base says "500 7/50", so its older than I thought.
The dial card is a repro from the net, the one it came with is safely tucked in behind it.
I know color ones have plastic finger wheels. If your phone is dated 1950, it obviously has a newer dial in it. Nothing wrong with that, just means it was likely refurbished at one point in time. The one i just bought is a 1960 that was refurbished 12 years later, but still has a period correct dial in it.
I've had a thought, the 500 was introduced in 1949, so is a July 1950 base worth millions?
(Of course all the rest of it is re-furbed!)
I highly doubt that its worth much of anything by itself, but then again who knows.. i sure do not.. Now if it were a complete matching dates phone then i could see it bringing some good money from a collector,but then again it may not.. I am still pretty new at phones so there is a lot i have yet to learn.
A July of 1950 base is very early indeed. From what I've dug up, actual production line models were starting that summer, so yours is right in there. I assume the network has been changed? If it still had that network, 425A, the and separate equalizer that would be something to work with. You could do an attempted "restoration" by trying to find correct dated parts and putting them in to restore the phone to as close to it's original configuration as possible. That's pretty hard though, finding the parts as they are few and far between.
Thats very interesting McHeath, its a substantial refurb from what I see on the base, rubber feet etc, pics on the seperate thread soon.
What issue of metal dial would fit this set, Phoneco have these:
WE #5 or #6.
#7 is what is in mine.
A 7A would be a nice early 500 dial for the phone, if you can find one. Too bad it's been so refurbed, but then that was part and parcel of the Bell System.
You would be more likely to find a 7 D or a 7 C depending on how much you want to spend.. BTW i like how my thread was hijacked... so moderator(s) please lock this thread..