Red Western Electric 500 Soft Plastic--How did I do here?

[WEBellSystemChristian]

I just bought a soft plastic 500 in red on eBay, $39 BIN. Although there were no pictures of the base, it had the soft plastic dial, and the earlier style Bell System logo on the shell. Good deal or not?

[LarryInMichigan]

I don't know if this phone is soft plastic.  It looks like the feet are round, and the soft plastic phones were shipped with more triangular-shaped feet.  The open center finger wheels were used into sometime in the 1960s.

Larry

[Contempra]

WEBellSystemChristian   This is a good deal given the price, the State and the cleanliness of this phone and you lose nothing. 

[WEBellSystemChristian]

The round plastic feet were only used as replacement feet, indicating that this phone was refurbished at least once, and I took that into account when buying it. I have a 1965 500 with the later (I'll just say closed center) dial, so that means this is, at latest, probably 1964, but I'm hoping on the phone being late fifties.

[rdelius]

Handset has holes in the center of the caps.Soft plastic has no hole in the centerThose older fingerwheels are good to find though

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Well, I never thought about that one. Is it still worth the $39 bucks I paid for it, considering it being early '60s?

[AE_Collector]

Red is always desirable and it looks to be in good condition and even the handset cord looks good.

Terry

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Yeah, I love the thick handset cords on 500s. I guess I'll have to wait until I get the phone, and hopefully I see an early date on the base when I get it.

[TelePlay]

Well, I never thought about that one. Is it still worth the $39 bucks I paid for it, considering it being early '60s?

I would say yes. I paid about that with shipping included for a blue 500 just for the open center finger wheel for use on a 202 continental (my avatar, actually).

Being red with a newer one piece finger wheel would be a desirable phone and, yes, red goes for a premium should you decide to sell it.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

To be honest, if I needed an open-center dial, and bought a complete, early blue 500, I wouldn't want to tear that phone apart. I'M JUST TOO ATTACHED TO EVERYTHING!!!

[WesternElectricBen]

I like it, I doubt it's soft plastic, as stated above.

Though I really do need a soft plastic 500.

To me, not the greatest but not bad at all.

Ben

[TelePlay]

To be honest, if I needed an open-center dial, and bought a complete, early blue 500, I wouldn't want to tear that phone apart. I'M JUST TOO ATTACHED TO EVERYTHING!!!

I fully understand but keep in mind, what I bought was a 1962 hard plastic 500 so just changing the finger wheel to what was being used at the time did not reduce the value or originality of the blue phone. Since both the open center AND solid finger wheels were being factory installed in the early 60s, chances of getting either were good. WE did not waste money so they "used up" the now hard to find/get soft center finger wheels.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=7257.msg81413#msg81413

Post lots of pictures of your new red phone here after it arrives.

[unbeldi]

I fully understand but keep in mind, what I bought was a 1962 hard plastic 500 so just changing the finger wheel to what was being used at the time did not reduce the value or originality of the blue phone. Since both the open center AND solid finger wheels were being factory installed in the early 60s, chances of getting either were good. WE did not waste money so they "used up" the now hard to find/get soft center finger wheels.

I don't think the solid-center finger wheels where installed at all on 500-series sets before about 1964, despite making their debut on the Princess in 1959.

[TelePlay]

I fully understand but keep in mind, what I bought was a 1962 hard plastic 500 so just changing the finger wheel to what was being used at the time did not reduce the value or originality of the blue phone. Since both the open center AND solid finger wheels were being factory installed in the early 60s, chances of getting either were good. WE did not waste money so they "used up" the now hard to find/get soft center finger wheels.

I don't think the solid-center finger wheels where installed at all on 500-series sets before about 1964, despite making their debut on the Princess in 1959.

You are most likely correct. It might be that a lot of early 60s 500s I've seen on eBay had their soft center finger wheels swapped out for one reason or another. Thanks for the timeline info.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

I think that when Western Electric transitioned from the open to the solid center dials, they did it immediately, not over time, like they did with Tenite to ABS plastics. I noticed the dial mechanisms were different, and I don't think Western Electric would be producing two different dials and dial mechanisms at he same time.