500 color breakdown

[Drew]

An online source lists production of model 500 colors in 1960 as follows - red 4%, yellow 7%, light blue 5%, pink 12%, white 27%, light beige 22%, green 7 %, light gray 5%, ivory 11%. These add up to a total percentage of 67%, leaving the remaining 33% as black. These figures indicate that a bit more then half of all 500s were black or white.

Question; does this sound accurate and would these percentages have stayed more or less constant through the end of the 500 production ?

Also - how often did phone companies repaint a phone a different color when refurbishing it. As I mentionioned in the 'oldest 500' post, I have a 1952 and a 1954, both have colored shells painted black and are othrwise all pretty original early sets with just a couple of updated parts.

[JorgeAmely]

Drew:

Did you get the info from here?

http://members.dslextreme.com/~zuperdee/telephones/500_history/we_500_history.html

The site has some information about over companies.

[Drew]

Drew:

Did you get the info from here?

http://members.dslextreme.com/~zuperdee/telephones/500_history/we_500_history.html

The site has some information about over companies.

Same figures, but found them at www.frillfreephones.com

[bingster]

I don't doubt the accuracy of those figures, but they do seem odd when you look at the pre-1960 phones that show up on ebay.  For example, according to the figures, red was not as popular as yellow, light grey, white, and ivory.  Yet you see red all the time, and very rarely see the other four.  It's especially surprising, given the fact that white comprised 27% of colored phones and red, only 4%.   

[Jim Stettler]

The #'s come from an ad. There are probably copies of the ad on ebay right now.

Originally,The painted phones went to poorly preforming companies. The paint matched the housing (B Stock) and it was a sign to the employees to tighten up.


If the paint didn't match the housing (C Stock), then you would probably be getting a new boss.


I think towards the end they were painting a lot more sets because it was cheaper to paint than replace or polish.


Sometimes you run across HW-to_mod handsets and factory polane painted mod cords as (Smoke tint ends)


Jim

[jsowers]

I agree those figures are odd and they seem made up by some advertising guy instead of being representative to what we're finding now. I suppose there are other variables like white fading badly and being replaced more frequently, but the color phones from 1958 and 59 we find are mostly pink and red. White is almost nowhere to be found. If the ad appeared in 1960, then the figures are for at least a year previous. I also remember all the handsets in the ad not having center holes.

Red didn't fade as badly as some others, but light gray and yellow outnumbering red? I doubt it. But I do have a few phone color chip charts from the early 60s where red wasn't even mentioned. And white 500s from 1959 are not common at all, though the hard plastic ones from 1960 seem to show up a bit more frequently.

Painting occurred from the late 50s on. I have a really odd painted set with all soft plastic pieces. On the outside it's aqua blue, but on the inside it's mahogany brown and pink, with only the dial face aqua blue. Below is a shot of it, with a black phone to show the other one is actually brown. I would definitely classify it as a "grade B" set. I also have a painted pink 500U. Pink over pink.

[Jim Stettler]

I have a Med Blue Polane coated in Green. ISTR that the dates all match (within reason) including the Green Dial.  I will post some photos when I find it.
Your brown is a much harder color to find.

I think my green/blue set is 57.
Jim

[Craig T]

I am surprised to hear only 4% were red in 1960 also. It seems like I see the red ones from the early 1960s all the time. At any rate, thanks for posting the info, very interesting!

[Jim Stettler]

I am surprised to hear only 4% were red in 1960 also. It seems like I see the red ones from the early 1960s all the time. At any rate, thanks for posting the info, very interesting!

Vern P. Brought up these #'s a couple of years ago on one of the list-servers. They don't "sound" right., However, I would expect the ad  to be based on actual sales figures. Does anyone have a handy scan of the ad to post?
Jim

[Craig T]

I agree it does not sound right, but it does say "production" not "sales" and Bing did mention that red was not as popular then. I am googling like mad right now trying to find something straight from the company.

[Jim Stettler]

I agree it does not sound right, but it does say "production" not "sales"

I think WE was a company that based Production on sales or at least "sales Forcasts". They were pretty anal in their research. I have always admired the detail that they went to. The Bell System  had a "system". Identical Clear fingerwheels for colored 302 sets were listed seperatly for inventory/research purposes. That was quite anal and intersting. I wonder which color need the most replacement, statisically.
Jim

[bingster]

Here's the ad.  I can't make out the exact date, but I can tell it says February and 1960.

[Phonesrfun]

Hmmm.  Notice none of the receiver or transmitter caps have center holes.

-Bill Geurts

[Craig T]

It says on the bottom, "the picture chart above shows the relative popularity of these telephone colors." Sounds to me like it is just as likely the results of a poll.

The thing is a representative sample in a poll generally only consists of 1000 people.

[Jim Stettler]

It says on the bottom, "the picture chart above shows the relative popularity of these telephone colors." Sounds to me like it is just as likely the results of a poll.

The thing is a representative sample in a poll generally only consists of 1000 people.

That is well worth considering. This is the color I would select if it wasn't extra, otherwise give me black. All evidence considered, this scenario makes the most sense.
Jim