Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => Collector's Corner => Topic started by: WEBellSystemChristian on May 09, 2015, 10:04:51 PM

Title: My '51 500J/K has a Brand New Face!
Post by: WEBellSystemChristian on May 09, 2015, 10:04:51 PM
A couple years ago, this December 1951 500 was heavily modified. The handset and cords were '73, the housing was '63, and the dial was a 1955. Fortunately, though, the base, C2A ringer, terminal strip, and 425A network were all still original and in very good shape. I just had to do a little searching...

By the time I found this on ebay, I had already found an August '51 G1 handset and cord that appears to be almost NOS, so I installed them. Some time later, I stumbled across a '59 500 with a December '51 housing, a perfect match!!! I just swapped housings with the '59er (that phone ended up with the '63 housing, almost win-win)! It was almost a complete late '51 500, apart from the dial...

I found a complete 95A dial blank in rough shape on ebay for $19.99 BiN. Knowing how sought-after these blanks are, I jumped on it. I realized then that I could use it on my almost-complete '51!

It arrived today, and after a little elbow grease, it looks great!


I like these blanks a lot, they really set themselves apart from the later 95Bs and Cs, both aesthetically and functionally. I always figured they were perfectly flush with the opening in the housing, but the plastic actually sits on top of the opening. It serves as a clamp with the metal ring that sits on the underside of the opening, to hold itself to the housing.

EDIT: added better (and more detailed) pictures after wet sanding the bezel a bit more.
Title: Re: My '51 500J/K has a Brand New Face!
Post by: electric al on May 10, 2015, 06:25:13 AM
Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on May 09, 2015, 10:04:51 PM
A couple years ago, this December 1951 500 was heavily modified. The handset and cords were '73, the housing was '63, and the dial was a 1955. Fortunately, though, the base, C2A ringer, terminal strip, and 425A network were all still original and in very good shape. I just had to do a little searching...

By the time I found this on ebay, I had already found an August '51 G1 handset and cord that appears to be almost NOS, so I installed them. Some time later, I stumbled across a '59 500 with a December '51 housing, a perfect match!!! I just swapped housings with the '59er (that phone ended up with the '63 housing, almost win-win)! It was almost a complete late '51 500, apart from the dial...

I found a complete 95A dial blank in rough shape on ebay for $19.99 BiN. Knowing how sought-after these blanks are, I jumped on it. I realized then that I could use it on my almost-complete '51!

It arrived today, and after a little elbow grease, it looks great!


I like these blanks a lot, they really set themselves apart from the later 95Bs and Cs, both aesthetically and functionally. I always figured they were perfectly flush with the opening in the housing, but the plastic actually sits on top of the opening. It serves as a clamp with the metal ring that sits on the underside of the opening, to hold itself to the housing.

EDIT: added better (and more detailed) pictures after wet sanding the bezel a bit more.


Very Nice !  ;)
Title: Re: My '51 500J/K has a Brand New Face!
Post by: TelePlay on May 10, 2015, 11:20:33 AM
I've always preferred that dial blank over the "stepped" newer version but have yet to see one, much less find one, in real life.

Nice find, nice work.
Title: Re: My '51 500J/K has a Brand New Face!
Post by: paul-f on May 10, 2015, 02:42:14 PM
Looks great, Christian.

It's also a good example of a 500T that was given the "new" marking code of J/K -- making it a 500J.