White Desktop Phone...Stamped in Red

[John S]

Just bought this on eBay.  It arrived today. It will need some TLC.   Here is the item number.  Any ideas? thoughts?  The case feels hard plastic. Here is the item number...251175894715

John

[LarryInMichigan]

That would probably be from fairly shortly after the switch to ABS plastics which occurred in the middle of 1959.  The phone should look great after some cleaning and polishing.

Larry

[Tom B]

Looks like you got a good deal on that phone. As Larry said the switch to ABS from Tenite occurred in mid 59. Nice to see that you still have the earpiece cap and presumably the mouth cap without centre holes - nice original touches.

[paul-f]

How do you pin down the "switch" to ABS to mid-1959?

I have seen soft plastic housings dated as late as 1964, so it seems like more of a gradual transition.  Examples have been found of some parts that were clearly made in both hard and soft plastic at the same time for at least a year.

[RotarDad]

My understanding is that black Tenite shells were manufactured until '65 (the latest black one I've seen was a '64 and it had clear plungers).  However, I believe the color shells were transitioned more quickly in mid-'59.  I think Dennis M. could give specifics as I've seen other threads discussing it.  I don't think I've seen any explanation as to why black continued on in Tenite for 5+ years after the switch to ABS for the color sets.

[AE40FAN]

Usually the bad smell is a dead giveaway that It's Tenite.  Once all cleaned up I'm sure it will look great!

[Dennis Markham]

I think Dennis M. could give specifics as I've seen other threads discussing it.

I don't have any documentation about when the switch took place (from Tenite to ABS).  Going by my experiences with colored 500/554 sets and discussing the experiences of others, a hypothesis (conjecture) was formulated that the transition occurred around the middle part of 1959.  The Black sets have been found much later than that, as Paul said.

John, I have a white housing from late 1959 that is also stamped in red.  The handset cap on yours looks like it may have been painted?

[jsowers]

Like Dennis says, it's conjecture. It's gathered from observing the color 500s and 554s we've seen dated after 6-59. They all seem to have hard plastic parts. Some of them have both soft and hard plastic parts combined.

Dial faces especially were still soft plastic until late 1959 on some colors. You can see it in those phones now--the dial face faded differently, or not at all, so they're different hues of the same color. I think the soft plastic dial faces (some call bezels) were made elsewhere--MPCo.--and evidently they were used up until they ran out. Handset pieces were also a combination sometimes.

Another thing to consider is mid-1959 is the exact same time that the Princess phone was starting to be manufactured, and it was hard plastic from the beginning, except maybe for a few handset pieces in those early months. The housings, though, seem to all be hard plastic.

I have always wondered about mahogany brown. I've never been able to afford a brown phone made in 1959-60 to know if it's hard or soft plastic. It could have remained soft until it was discontinued. If anyone has a late brown keyset and can tell which plastic it is, please post.

Also if anyone has color soft plastic dated after 6-59, please post a picture of that too. Soft plastic (Tenite) taps dull and will dissolve in denatured alcohol. Hard plastic (ABS) taps with a sharp, hard tap and won't dissolve in denatured alcohol.

[Jester]

John,

What I find interesting about sets like yours is that nearly every detail on those sets is identical to the last tenite sets made around June of '59.  Right down to the date stamp inside the front of the cover.  There can't be many of them around-- subtle changes to the molds, target date stamps embossed directly onto the plastics, etc. started entering the production line by December, if not earlier.  Even so, I can't name a single collector that is actively seeking these sets.  The ABS parts are a real "deal killer" for many.

Jonathan,

John S is the one to ask regarding details on late production mahogany keysets.  If I remember correctly, his 565 was made in '59-- I can't remember the month.

[John S]

Dennis, I checked the cap, it is not painted.  Its all original.  All the dates match, ringer, network, ETC.  I was excited for a moment, but I could tell by just touching the case.  I have a few soft plastic, I can tell by touch and smell.  Still a cool phone....