Design Line Sculptura Phone

[Argyris]

Anyone got any tips for buying one? (This is the "donut" or "handbag" model, made by WE in the 1970s.) Also, since they don't have handset caps, I don't see how one would open up the handset for a look; any advice?

On eBay, they have consistently appeared in white, yellow, and brown. Anyone seen other colors?

[bingster]

This came out around 1980, and shows those three colors as the only ones:

http://www.porticus.org/bell/images/dl/st-a.jpg
http://www.porticus.org/bell/images/dl/st-b.jpg

That doesn't necessarily mean they were the only colors though.  They were as of the time of this publication, but there may have been earlier colors in the 1970s that didn't make it that long.  Of course, it's also possible that they were never available in other colors.  I don't know for sure, but like you, I've only ever seen the three colors show up.

[Dan]

I am almost positive they were only in brown, yellow, and white. I have a white touchtone and a brown rotary. They are solid , neat phones and I feel will go up in value. White seems to get the highest prices (touchtones more than rotarys). They ring and sound like a princess, with a single bell.

[BDM]

During my "Design Line" collecting mania phase, I have and had several. Watch for cracks around the edges of the handset. Meaning around the receiver & transmitter areas. They're known to crack there from drops and such.

Another weak area (if there is one) is both along the bottom edge, and tops where the handset sits. Again, if the phone was dropped or thrown at someone during it's life, it will crack first in these locations. Other than that, it's a tough phone. Heavy even though it looks like a Chinese attempt at Western style

Last, that's another handset design that won't shoulder well. So unless you're laying on a couch or bed talking, it may lose it's "newness" after a short time

[Ellen]

Last, that's another handset design that won't shoulder well. So unless you're laying on a couch or bed talking, it may lose it's "newness" after a short time

Yeah, that's the problem with my AE40.  Well, one problem.  The handset is designed to slip off the shoulder and the cord does not want to stretch much at all.  So I use it for short calls (I am not a yakker, anyway) and the WE500 if I need to write and the kitchen piece of junk for talking to robots. 

Speaking of which, this I just bought on ebay, to replace the junker.  It has extra features but not too many.
http://tinyurl.com/cgjxcg

[Sargeguy]

They go for around $20 in good conditions on the eBay.