My "other" colored 500 collection

[Jester]

I first got the idea of finding all of these after browsing through Paul-F's fantastic site early last year.  One item that caught my eye was the small, clear plastic box with the Bell System logo on it with ALL 8 early colors inside in the form of key fobs.  Well, after seeing that, I started thinking "I got to get me some of those!!", & started checking eBay to see what I could find.  None of those filled cases showed up for awhile, but I did notice a few auctions with the fobs--usually one or two--and the bead chains.  Finally, after fifteen months of searching, I have completed my set of keychains--all thirteen colors offered through 1957.  The first two pics are of the last auction I won--unique because it offered nine fobs in seven of the first eight colors.  The last pic. is of my completed collection.  I am still looking for the box set of eight--but, this ain't bad!

[bingster]

Vere nice "little" collection there, Stephen.  One of the sets in the plastic box just ended within the last couple weeks.  If I'm not mistaken, it went for something around $80.

[Jester]

That's right, Darrin--$87.50, if I remember correctly.  It was a ten day auction that I was watching, then this lot showed up as a three day.  Since I only needed the Med. blue to complete my loose set, I zeroed in on this one.  There was another full set in the box earlier this year that ended at $29.00, but I was asleep at the wheel when it finished.

[HarrySmith]

Very Nice
I was watching that boxed set too but that was a little high for me, I do want them

[Dennis Markham]

Nice, Jester.  Congratulations on completing your set.   Their value just went up cause everyone wants them now after seeing yours!

[jsowers]

Stephen, congratulations on finding that dark blue keychain! I'm still looking for that color too, and brown.

Below is something I posted before, but since Christmas is just around the corner, I thought I'd post it again in case anyone has a lot of keychains and needs a way to display them. Also for those who may not know, there were also keychains made in Princesses (very common) and Trimlines (not quite as common). And there are rotary and TT Trimline keychains too. I also have some switchboard plugs someone made into keychains. See the pictures below.

They also made some other small things, evidently as rewards or retirement gifts. I have a set of Lenox plates with Princesses on them. I haven't seen many of those.

Also I have an unusual Princess keychain that came from the Shadeland Plant when the Princess was introduced in 1959. It's what I call a "flat Princess." On the back it says Western Electric Co., Inc. Shadeland Works Open House Sept., 1959. I also included a postcard with a picture of the plant. This is where our old 500 sets came from.

[Jim Stettler]

I have also seen some 10 button trimline keychains.

On the 3D princess phones there were at least 2 different styles. The later one is a little bigger.


Jim

[Russ Kirk]

I like the plates.  Never seen those before.

Russ

[McHeath]

The plates are cool, never seen the like.  Guess they made phone everything back then.

These key fobs are neat little goodies, I've never seen one live in person but they look pretty small. 

[KeithB]

Not just "phone everything".  Corporate identity and presence was a ridiculously high priority in the late 50s and all throughout the 60s and 70s and the Bell System wasn't the only corporation doing it.

[jsowers]

Marketing was a big thing, starting in the 1950s at the Bell System. I'm sure their marketing budget was tremendous. There were countless brochures, keychains, little promo 500 sets, little promo Princesses, pencil sharpeners, calendars, thermometers, floaty pens, blotters, paperweights, mirrors, matchbooks, sewing kits, and other miscellaneous stuff made with the Bell logo on it. Most of it dates to the 50s and 60s, but some of it dates back to the early 1900s.

Below is another Lenox piece I have. I think it's a candy dish, and it could have been an award of some kind. I've seen other Lenox pieces like vases and large plates and those little Princess plates I posted previously. But this one is really odd. It has the Bell logo on the tip of the handle and it looks kind of "mid-century modern" to me.

[jsowers]

I thought I would revive the latest keychain thread to ask if anyone in the Forum managed to get this unusual candlestick keychain? I'd never seen one before, and it does have the Bell logo on the bottom. It's the newer logo, so I assume it dates to the Design Line years. Anyone ever seen one like it before?

Here is the auction link. The bidding was spirited.

http://cgi.ebay.com/FIVE-BELL-SYSTEM-KEYCHAIN-PHONES-/150505266572

Below are two of the auction pictures for reference.

[Jester]

I was watching that one, but I couldn't justify bidding on a handful of princess fobs & one that I really wanted for $50.00.  If it had been a lot of 500 fobs, now, that's a different story!