New Cortelco 554 on the way

[liteamorn]

I bought a new house and on the kitchen wall is a very ugly modular wall phone jack. I had been trying to figure out what to do with it. I thought about a replica receiver/transmitter phone. I thought about some kind of picture or plaque to cover it with. My girlfriend came up with the idea of trying to find a rotary phone. Being a child from the 50's and 60's I knew the phone I wanted. I found a NOS red 554 on a website and payed way more than I paid for my last 3 cordless pieces of junk. I know I paid way to much but the prospect of having a little piece of my childhood Everytime my phone rings took control of the situation. I am hoping it works with my Comcast voip. I've been lurking here for a bit and I'm pretty sure it will.  I realize now that I have had a bit of a thing for old phones. When I was a kidI used to go out of my way to slide a dime into an old receiver/transmitter pay phone in a gas station down the road. One of the first ringtones I ever downloaded to my cell phone was the ring of a 500. One of the first things I'm going to do is make a ringtone from my 554. Sorry if I'm acting like a kid at Christmas time but that's how I feel right now. I'm looking for that box Everytime I pull in the driveway.

[jsowers]

When your phone arrives, please post pictures for us to share in the excitement. You'll have a phone with a pleasant ring and one that can be heard outside, or at least mine can. My kitchen 554 is next to a window--it was the only wall space left in my kitchen, so it had to go there. I can hear it standing in the driveway, with the window closed. It may not be cordless, but I can hear it and run inside, like my grandmother used to do.

Welcome to the Forum! I hope your phone works with your VOIP. Let us know how it turns out.

[bingster]

Welcome to the forum!  I have Comcast phone service, and my old phones ring just fine with it.  I don't think you'll have any trouble.

[liteamorn]

When I spoke to the gentleman at frillfreephones I inquired as to which manufacturer 554 I might be receiving when I ordered it. He told me "probably Cortelco" which I was ok with.

I spent many hours here researching the phones and the manufacturers and I was comfortable with the Cortelco although i would have much preferred an original Western Electric (who wouldn't, right?).

Well my phone arrived today and my heart skipped a beat when I opened the USPS Priority Shipping box. The first thing that jumped out at me was the brown box with a Bell logo and the words "Western Electric" on it.

On the modular backing plate  the words "Bell System not for resale"is etched and a little sticker that said "Property of Ohio Bell, Not for resale.

Oddly the plastic case and the handset have nothing to identify the manufacturer on them.
I HAD to open her up and look for some kind of proof. I found dates all over inside
and they all have the year 73 on them. It also has the old style ringer on it with a brass clapper.

I believe I just got a brand new Western Electric 554 made in 1973.

As for my Comcast VOIP, my phone works fine on it, just as you folks said it would.

I think I'm going to call myself , just to hear it ring again.

Ed

[liteamorn]

[old_stuff_hound]

Very cool! Great find!

Coincidentally, it was the search for a 554 for the garage that led me here.

I've discovered that the problem with phones is that they're fairly inexpensive (for the common models, anyway) and restoration is fairly quick and very rewarding, meaning that there's great incentive to get another one (and another, and another, and another.... ;-)

Enjoy!

[troydog]

I like that wall phone a lot. My parents had that same one in white. Only problem they ever had with it was cords at that time you just went to the local office they gave you new ones. We had the 25 foot cords since it was the only phone in the house. You could reach any room with that long cord.

[GusHerb]

Congratulations on the NOS WE 554! I got a white Northern Electric NOS white 554 from them about 6 years ago. my favorite 554 in my collection to this day.

[jsowers]

Oddly the plastic case and the handset have nothing to identify the manufacturer on them.
I HAD to open her up and look for some kind of proof. I found dates all over inside
and they all have the year 73 on them. It also has the old style ringer on it with a brass clapper.

I believe I just got a brand new Western Electric 554 made in 1973.

If the plastics don't have a manufacturer on them, then they could be generic replacements. Western Electric 554s always had Western Electric on the handset and the front of the housing. The internal components are definitely Western Electric and that's nice to see. You got a great phone. Thanks for posting the pictures, and I hope it's the first of many. You need a Princess in the bedroom! Or a round-button Trimline with that neat lighted faceplate.

[liteamorn]

Thanks for the great welcome guys!!
Jsowers, Thanks for confirming what I suspected about the case and the handset. The plastic handset seemed a lot lighter than I remembered, the old rotaries I grew up with were undoubtedly g1 bakelite handsets, I remember the seam running parallel to he handset.

This phone is a real page out of my childhood, I get goosebumps everytime it rings. I live in an adult community now and more than one person has stopped and looked when walking their dogs past my house to that strange but familiar sound.

My cordless phones warbled like turkeys, now they are just used for caller ID and to dial through those annoying automatic prompts, then I switch to my REAL phone.


I know more about phones already than I ever thought I would but I have a ton to learn.

Thanks again guys
Ed