Not a trick question. From what was listed, name that phone, please.
Here's the eBay listing. From that, and the pictures, what is it?
Or, if you bought this phone, what do you think you would find in the box in which it was shipped?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/280967731253
( dead link 01-12-22 )
All guesses welcome. And, thanks.
Looks like a green 1958 500 and I don't see a box.
Quote from: HarrySmith on September 26, 2012, 07:56:28 PM
Looks like a green 1958 500 . . .
Harry,
That's what I thought too when I sniped it away for $20 plus $10 shipping. Looked like I might have a soft plastic '58 C/D 500, maybe. At least, a nice old phone.
Opened the box and it looked just like the eBay pictures.
Then I looked at the handset and case. *%$#! ??? They listed it as a Bell Western and it wasn't, at least the plastics.
I don't collect and have no need for a SC 500. But, if it had a WE base?
Nope! Opened it up and found scrap! >:(
Came from Illinois. Must have been one of those caught in the great Mississippi flood of the last century, 1993, and just dug out last week. Yeah, the seller did a nice job of cleaning the dirt off the outside, just to sell it, in a bad listing.
Sometimes you bite the bear and sometimes the bear bites you.
I'd get into a pick up truck bed phone pitching contest with this but for $10 return shipping, I can get my $20 back so it goes out in the mail this week.
Think the seller should pay for any of it because of the erroneous listing information?
Too bad. That phone definitely looks like it's been in a flood, and for what it is, it is not worth the effort.
If you are looking for a soft plastic green 500, keep looking, and you will find one eventually.
Larry
There's probably going to be a lot of phones like that here in the North East of England after the heavy rain at the beginning of the week causing flooding in places, most of them just cheap electronic tat, but there may be the odd few vintage phones, probably ending up thrown away too... :-\
Still, that wasn't very bright of the seller to sell a phone with an interior like that, yeah, misdescribing there, although if it still works as they claim, I am somewhat impressed at it's survivability, them phones are tough cookies.... :D
The eBay seller is being really good on this. I sent the phone back this morning and tonight got a message from seller saying they talked to the phone's owner and I didn't have to send it back and she would credit me the full amount. Well, too late, but I'm glad I sent it back. Cost me $9 to ship it.
I did a little research on the site for SC 500 phones. I know nothing about these but it seems they are a hybrid of sorts. I told the seller to correctly re-list it as a '58 SC 500 C/D for parts or restoration and in need of cleaning. From what I read, this may or may not be a valuable phone. Seems the 500 came after the 15xx and was meant to be a WE 500 look alike. The base and network were 6-58 but the handset elements were early '72.
So, it may re-appear on eBay, rightly listed the next time it does. Just saying . . . cause I don't know. :-\
I think that this phone was assembled from various parts by a refurbisher. The base may be a 1958 WE, but the shell is 1970s SC, and the ringer looks to be late 1960s-1970s vintage. The sticker on the side of the network might be from the refurbisher. I don't think that the phone is worth more than $10.
Larry
John, I don't follow what you are saying about its being a hybrid or that it followed the 1500. This appears to be a run-of-the-mill 500 in every way, only at least some of the parts made by Stromberg-Carlson instead of WE or ITT. After the consent decree (1956?) WE was required to license its patents and SC and ITT made many things that were originally designed by WE.
Quote from: LarryInMichigan on September 27, 2012, 10:25:13 PM
I think that this phone was assembled from various parts by a refurbisher. The base may be a 1958 WE, but the shell is 1970s SC, and the ringer looks to be late 1960s-1970s vintage. The sticker on the side of the network might be from the refurbisher. I don't think that the phone is worth more than $10.
Larry
With the rust, corrosion and dirt removed, right? ::)
I was reading this old link
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1039.msg12646#msg12646
but now realize they were talking about putting a 500 shell on a SC base. The mud phone I had sure looked like a WE 500 base so you are probably right.
The phone was hanging at $6 until the end when someone bid $20 and I unfortunately sniped it a bit hagher. The $20 bidder was the winner here. ;D
Quote from: poplar1 on September 27, 2012, 11:54:02 PM
John, I don't follow what you are saying about its being a hybrid or that it followed the 1500. This appears to be a run-of-the-mill 500 in every way, only at least some of the parts made by Stromberg-Carlson instead of WE or ITT. After the consent decree (1956?) WE was required to license its patents and SC and ITT made many things that were originally designed by WE.
You are probably right. My knowledge of WE isn't that deep. And I know even less of SC phones than WE equipment. But, I'm learning, the hard way, one mistake at a time. ;)
QuoteWith the rust, corrosion and dirt removed, right? Roll Eyes
I was reading this old link
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1039.msg12646#msg12646
but now realize they were talking about putting a 500 shell on a SC base. The mud phone I had sure looked like a WE 500 base so you are probably right.
That earlier discussion was about the modification of the SC 1543, with the cut corners, to 1586 which resembles a WE 500 more, but it is still a different phone than a 500. Sometime in the 1960s (I think), Stromberg Carlson started making the 500 using the WE design, and the parts are interchangeable. Kellogg/ITT started much earlier in the 1950s.
It is not unusual to find refurbished 500s which contain mixtures of parts from WE, NE, SC, ITT, and even independent companies which made parts for them.
Larry
Quote from: LarryInMichigan on September 28, 2012, 08:51:03 AMIt is not unusual to find refurbished 500s which contain mixtures of parts from WE, NE, SC, ITT, and even independent companies which made parts for them.
Larry,
Thanks for that info. And I can understand why and how this was done. I just wish the seller would have accurately listed the phone, both by correct name, more photos and total condition.
Looking back at the pictures of the handset posted above, looking at the Stromberg-Carlson imprint and the volume control wheel on the bottom, and knowing what the inside looked like, I can say the eBay seller did indeed clean the phone, the exterior, but didn't get all the mud off. There is still some seen in the Stromberg-Carlson letters and in the groves of the bell volume control wheel. I bet that phone was ugly before the shell was washed off, given what the inside looked like.
Seems the only value in the phone would be the handset, its elements, its cord, the plungers and possibly the dial and the shell. I have a bad feeling parting out a phone, even that one, and spending time to see if it would clean up just didn't seem worth it. I think $10 for the phone, or its good parts, would be reasonable.
This was the first phone ever I bought on eBay that I returned. Hopefully, it will be the last. Learned a lot on this purchase, and return.
At one time I sorted hundreds of 500 sets at from Hines telephone Sanford NC. Many were refurbished by SC with replacement SC parts even though the sets were WE ,NE,Kellogg-ITT.The bases had a SC sticker on them.Freq ringers were SC.