Green WE 354

[Steve K]

I recently bought this WE 354 that was factory painted green.  I have a brochure from Illinois Bell Telephone from the mid 50s that lists the 500 sets in 8 colors.  The pictures show the 500s with the gray coiled cords.  Also in the ad is a picture of the wall phone which is a 354 available in limited colors including green.  I have several black ones and the ivory one but I have never seen any that were painted before.

Steve

[bingster]

I've never seen one in person, but I've seen these in painted colors on ebay before.  Some are obviously basement paint jobs, but some do appear original, like yours.   I've only seen them in green and aqua so far.  It would be nice to build up a collection of those.

[Dennis Markham]

I have no personal knowledge of the painted sets.  I've never seen one in person either.  I was told that when the Bell Systems refurbished phones (painting them) they did not paint the finger wheel or finger stop.  It looks like your finger stop is not painted but the finger wheel is.  I don't know if that means anything or not.  If you say it's original, then it is.  You do see them from time to time on eBay as Bingster said...painted.  There was a blue one on there a week or so ago.  Who knows if that was original.  It looked aqua, not dark blue.

[Steve K]

I really do believe that it is original.  The phone was taken apart prior to painting as there is no overspray on the dial frame or any internal parts.  The finger wheel is painted but again, it looks like a good job.  I have seen some of those on eBay that looked like they were painted with a garden hose.  My brochure from Bell Telephone says that they were available in ivory, green, red and beige.

[Dennis Markham]

That's nice that you got one.  I'll have to keep my eyes open for those.  It looks like Bell painted everything to make them have more appeal to the subscribers.  I have the painted D1's (Continentals) and I've seen and we've discussed the painted 302's, so why not the 354's?