No Dial Phones?

[tjmack99]

I feel like such a newbie, forgive me. I bought a 1957 WE 554 phone and it according to the description is was "missing the dial". Pictures are below. I assumed that someone took it for parts, before listing the phone on eBay. But having read more posts, I learned that some phones actually didn't come with a dail mechanism. Can someone explain why that was, and whether that's actually what happened with this phone?
Thanks,
Tim

[Doug Rose]

I feel like such a newbie, forgive me. I bought a 1957 WE 554 phone and it according to the description is was "missing the dial". Pictures are below. I assumed that someone took it for parts, before listing the phone on eBay. But having read more posts, I learned that some phones actually didn't come with a dail mechanism. Can someone explain why that was, and whether that's actually what happened with this phone?
Thanks,
Tim

That is a dial blank. Your 554 doesn't have a dial, it is a manual set. Used in locations where someone could be called and not call out. Very common in work environments. ...Doug

[tjmack99]

Ok, thanks. Interesting. I did add a dial, but have to make sure I wired it correctly.
Tim

[Kenny C]

That is a dial blank. Your 554 doesn't have a dial, it is a manual set. Used in locations where someone could be called and not call out. Very common in work environments. ...Doug

Didnt you have to have an operator if you wanted to dial out? Like if i had this in my house in 1957 I would have to be on switchboard service right?

[HarrySmith]

No, not neccesarily, it was used where the boss did not want you making calls, like in a repair shop or similar work environment. Used long after switchboards were no longer in service.

[tjmack99]

It was also missing the transmitter, maybe the boss didn't want them to talk either, just listen!

[Adam]

There are legitimate reasons for having a no-transmit no-dial phone, could be used for monitoring audio circuits.  But I doubt it, I just think your transmitter was "borrowed" to fix another phone at some point.

There are lots of valid reasons for no-dial manual phones.  For example, there were things called "ring-down tie lines".  In this special kind of service, when a phone on one end of the line picked up the phone, the other phone automatically rang, and vice-versa.  These lines might have a manual phone installed.

I think modern manual phones are cool.  I own a Western Electric black 500 with a dial blank and also a Western Electric dial blank in the red color which I occasionally install into one of my red rotary sets for fun.

[Phonesrfun]

There were also manual residential lines in homes well into the 1960's  A good depiction of this is the Andy Griffith Show.  Small and rural communities still had a local operator in these towns for some time.  Even the town I currently live in was not converted to dial service until the late 1960's.  I did not live here at that time, but people have related this information to me.

With a "manual" system, the phone had no dial.  One would simply pick up the phone and wait for the operator to come on the line and ask for the "Number Please".

One often thinks of these manual systems as only candlestick phones and magneto systems.  There were, indeed many, many "modern" 500 and 554 sets made for manual exchanges.  On a 500, for instance, the model number is 500 C/D.  If it were a manual set, it would be a 500 C.  If it were a dial set, it would be a 500 D. 

[tjmack99]

Very interesting stuff. What does the A/B refer to on models with those letters? I just noticed on my 554 blank dial set, there are 3 different date stamps on the back plate: 7/57, 10/57 and 11/57. Any idea why they'd stamp it 3 times?

[Adam]

Phonesrfun!  I forgot about the phones on the Andy Griffith show!  In the police station, they had manual candlesticks, but in Andy's house they had manual desk sets.  In early episodes they had manual 302s.  Here's a picture from a later episode I just captured from YouTube, this is the manual 500C in Andy's bedroom.

[Adam]

What does the A/B refer to on models with those letters? I just noticed on my 554 blank dial set, there are 3 different date stamps on the back plate: 7/57, 10/57 and 11/57. Any idea why they'd stamp it 3 times?

A/B means the same thing as C/D.  Where there are two letters shown with a slash, the first letter is the model number with a dial blank, the second number is the model number with a dial.

It's just coincidental that in C/D, D is for dial.

If your phone has more than one date stamp, all the later dates are Western Electric refurbishment dates.  Refurb dates are usually stamped in vermilion color.

[Adam]

Here's a pic of a phone in my collection that acquired an abnormally large number of refurb stamps over its lifetime.

[Dennis Markham]

Tim, here's a post from some time ago.  There are a couple of 500 type phones shown here with dial blanks.  Note the two different styles.  The "puffier" ones are earlier.  I don't recall the designation of them without looking.  Perhaps we mentioned in the text of the posts.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=645.0

[paul-f]

You can read up on the subject here:
  http://www.paul-f.com/500blanks.html

With background on madel numbers on the main 500-series page:
  http://www.paul-f.com/we500typ.htm
  http://www.paul-f.com/we500typ.htm#Model

[JorgeAmely]

Here's a pic of a phone in my collection that acquired an abnormally large number of refurb stamps over its lifetime.

Dave:

This one qualifies for the most refurbished phone in the history of Ma Bell. Only if it could talk.