I won this 500 awhile back, all matching numbers, 12-55, with exception of 1966 handset cord. $4.99, from ebay.
It cleaned up nice, and works fine.
The thing I found most unusual about the phone, was a sticker That I left intact on the handset cradle.
I can think of hundreds of ads to keep close to your phone, but this doesn't even make the scale at 101 ? Where must this phone have been used ? Also checdkout the name GRIMSHAW !
D/P
Gotta love that name Grimshaw Funeral Service on an old black phone. :-\ Any possibility that the phone was used at the funeral home? Makes you wonder all the conversations that may have gone through the phone. Did you track down where it came from? Nice phone Dan and the price sure wasn't grim. :)
Matt;
Not yet But I plan to.
D/p
Okay, you made that up! A funeral home named "Grimshaw"?! It's like something out of a bad B movie:
Ring Ring!!
"Grimshaw, Sackem and Stiff's Funeral Home. How may we assist you?"
Nice looking phone however, and a fine price.
Quote from: McHeath
Ring Ring!!
"Grimshaw, Sackem and Stiff's Funeral Home. How may we assist you?"
Reminds me of working at a restaurant last year with a good friend, Robert Roach. He's the exec. chef and I was the prep guy. I have the unfortunate last name of Leach. So we'd answer the phone using only our first names, since we didn't think answering to the names of Roach and Leach would sound very inspiring in a high end kitchen. (Which we kept VERY clean, BTW.) We did joke about starting a law firm, though. We just needed a third partner named Shark. ;)
I must admit I've been lax about maintaining particular records on each of my phones. Many of them are from regular sales but quite a few are from direct Ebay family sellers, but that doesn't mean a lot since I don't know them. I guess what's more interesting to me is to just look at the dates of each phone and think of all that was going on at that time in history.
It's really cool that you saved the sticker, D/P. It certainly ads character!
I received a Red 500 I bought from ebay two weeks ago, today in the mail.
When I opened the box this was staring at me....... ??? ??? ???
D/P
Now I'm not particularily superstitious, but Monday Morning I go into the Hospital for an operation.
Gee, D/P, on a serious note I hope your operation on Monday goes okay!!!
That sticker on the red handset IS a little morbid and creepy. It really makes one wonder; with the fire, police, ambulance and sheriffs' numbers at the ends, and just in case that doesn't work... :P Makes me wonder if the Alexander Funeral Home didn't finance that little bit of advertising in questionable taste. ::)
I saw another one similar to this the other day with a funeral home sticker on the bottom. I almost bid just because of the sticker.
Hmm. New contest? What's the weirdest sticker anyone has found on a phone?
The 911 system seems to have diluted some more "colorful" past.
Quote from: HobieSport on January 08, 2009, 07:05:00 PM
I have the unfortunate last name of Leach.
Theres nothing wrong with that at all! I hear some of the best looking, coolest guys have that last name. (NO, I am NOT hitting on you) :)
lot's of funeral homes has an attachment to the model 500, I've also seen a couple of 500 before with funeral homes sticker on model 500's
I also run across a lot of those long narrow stickers on handset that were for funeral homes. Most of them glow in the dark too!
I made a posting once on my blog site about them. In fact it was nearly two years ago to the day. If you get REALLY bored, here it is:
http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=27
Dennis
I guess when one does really need a funeral home one would want the info handy...
Hey Steve, my cousins' name is Steve Leach. It has a pretty cool ring to it. And I don't worry about anyone hitting on me at my age. I'm confident in my telephonic orientation. ;D I just worry about that big gun. ;) ;D
Right now I'm just a little concerned for D/P and the operation on Monday. Let's all send Dan some happy thoughts. By shortwave of course. :)
Mark, I've read most of your blogs (obsessive? moi?) but missed the one about the stickers. Thanks. I remember the glow in the dark ones.
-Matt
Quote from: HobieSport on January 08, 2009, 08:39:39 PM
I guess when one does really need a funeral home one would want the info handy...
Hey Steve, my cousins' name is Steve Leach. It has a pretty cool ring to it. And I don't worry about anyone hitting on me at my age. I'm confident in my telephonic orientation. ;D I just worry about that big gun in you have. ;) ;D
Right now I'm just a little concerned for D/P and the operation on Monday. Let's all send Dan some happy thoughts. By shortwave of course. :)
LOL!
Where does your cousin live???
Quote from: Dennis Markham on January 08, 2009, 08:36:04 PM
I also run across a lot of those long narrow stickers on handset that were for funeral homes. Most of them glow in the dark too!
I made a posting once on my blog site about them. In fact it was nearly two years ago to the day. If you get REALLY bored, here it is:
http://www.vintagerotaryphones.com/?p=27
Dennis
Dennis, I have read your blog, yah stickers are kinda pesky, sometime when you remove it, you'll see that the bottom of the sticker is not discolored while the whole body of the phone is badly discolored, this has happened to me before. you are right, don't bother removing the sticker since this has been a part of the phone, its like a time capsule of the phones past
I generally do remove them but I understand the authenticity of the stickers. They are as much as part of our culture as the phone itself. I guess there has probably been advertisements for phones since the very start. I have a couple "dial caps" that fit over the round dial card retainer rings. Different businesses used to advertise with those. And then there were little dialers that one could use to dial the phone. Just a little plastic handle to hold with a ball on the end to stick in the finger hole. And I've seen photos of candle stick type phones with advertisements on them.
For those who do not know lets not forget it was a mortician that invented direct dialing. He felt the operators were being bribed by other funeral homes.
Quote from: Konrad
For those who do not know lets not forget it was a mortician that invented direct dialing. He felt the operators were being bribed by other funeral homes.
Really, is that true? As a newbie I sometimes don't know when we are kidding or not. If true I find that fascinating. Well, sort of morbid but interesting.
Yep, 100% true. As I recall, the town operator was a relative of one of the town's undertakers, and steered all the calls from people who needed that service to her relative's establishment. The town's other undertaker, missing out on a lot of business, tried to eliminate the operator from the calling process.
Years ago a friend of mine got a hold of a pristine 202 and subset. He found out that the phone had been deployed in a funeral home. He felt a little weird about connecting it up, knowing what the likely circumstances were every time that phone had ever rung. I don't know whatever happened to it.
In that case I think a new glow in the dark label should be manufactured:
It would say: Mark Stevens Telephone Forum.
Otherwise call 911.
Quote from: rp2813 on January 09, 2009, 01:05:27 PM
Years ago a friend of mine got a hold of a pristine 202 and subset. He found out that the phone had been deployed in a funeral home. He felt a little weird about connecting it up, knowing what the likely circumstances were every time that phone had ever rung. I don't know whatever happened to it.
Now that has potential for a short story, "The Ring Of Death".
When this phone rings, no one wants to answer it !!!!
In Theater this Februmortuary...!!
D/P
What happens if you dial Bowery1-2000? ;) (a bad joke from a new member...forgive me!)
I was freaked out because I went in for surgery Monday, and the last two phones I bought both had Funeral stickers on them.
I have a morbid sense of humor, and if I kicked it, Oh! Well! what ya Gonna do, I wouldn't of known it, My worsat fear was Bill Cahill might try to grab my phones.....
Dan/Panther
Hey D/P, so we can assume your surgery went okay? :)
He seems to be alive and kicking, that's good news. ;D
Overall I seem tom be doing great, but parts of me hurt like heck.
D/P
This was from the 1940 metal 302 that arrived today:
Quote from: Kittybell on January 15, 2009, 03:42:31 PM
What happens if you dial Bowery1-2000? ;) (a bad joke from a new member...forgive me!)
Kittybell;
I don't know what the Bowerey number is,l can you enlighten my dumb ass.
D/P