Oxford Gray Craigslist Challenge

[LarryInMichigan]

Last night, I noticed a WE 500 for $20 on the local craigslist.  In the pictures, it looked like it was at least partially oxford gray under the paint, so I contacted the seller and arranged to meet her this morning.  I picked up the phone about an hour ago.  All of the the shell and handset parts are oxford gray soft plastic, but the dial bezel and both cords are light gray.  The oxford gray parts look to be professionally painted light gray.  My challenge now is to figure out how to remove the tough light gray paint and find oxford gray cords and and a dial bezel.

Larry

[RotarDad]

Nice find, Larry...  This is a WEBellSystemChristian special for sure!  He would know how to handle a restoration.  Of course, a cool piece of Bell history at it sits.  What I find interesting is that the refurb shop left the large "52" Oxford Gray color code stamped on the bottom.  I've seen a handful that had color codes added to the bottom like this in the mid-fifties.  The dial is probably marked 7C-52 as well, and means that the refurb shop kept all the parts together during the process and just tossed the cords and bezel (dumpster diving outside a refurb shop in the late 50s or early 60s would have been quite eye-opening......)

[LarryInMichigan]

I don't know what I am going to do with this, but I couldn't pass on it for $20 (and 35 minutes of round-trip driving).

Larry

[Greg G.]

I don't know what I am going to do with this, but I couldn't pass on it....

Larry

And that, my friend, was the story of my collecting for nine years! 

I'm curious about the "S" stamps on the bottom, "serviced" (refurb) stamps?  I've never seen them as a stamp before, usually stickers with an "R" at the beginning.

[LarryInMichigan]

Phone-itus for sure!  That was the story of my collecting! 

I'm curious about the "S" stamps on the bottom, "serviced" (refurb) stamps?  I've never seen them as a stamp before, usually stickers with an "R" at the beginning.

Doctor, I also have clock-itis and radio-itis as well.  This morning, before buying this phone, I bought a black bakelite Hammond Firefly clock for $6 at the local flea market.  I started working on restoring it.  The crystal was broken, but I found a replacement here.

I know just about nothing about refurb stamps.

Larry

[RotarDad]

I have seen quite a few of the "S" stamps from the 50's on 500s.  I agree that these probably refer to "Service" where the more common 60's dated stamps are "R" for "Refurbish".  I think it was a change in convention on the stamp, versus a change in procedure, but that is just a guess.  It was also common in the 50's an 60's to see the "CONV" stamp from the refurb shop, when an early 500 lost its 425A network, replaced by the newer internally-equalized 425B.

I had a 50s 500 that had a "S1257" stamp and a "CONV" stamp. The net was dated '59, indicating it was serviced once with the old 425A net in '57, and was upgraded (Converted) to a 425B net on its second trip to the refurb shop in '59.