Author Topic: Ivory 4-56 WE 556 BIN on eBay (Read 462 times)

magicbrain · « **on:** June 16, 2018, 02:03:43 PM »

https://tinyurl.com/y96ox56y

Got lucky again, got a soft plastic ivory WE 556 with satin hook for $19.95 + $12.50 shipping.

All April 1956, except the dial dated a month earlier - very original with nice dial card, although as a 556 party line phone the 426A tube has been removed at some point?

It was described as tan in the listing - I thought it had to be ivory - without top notches/ribs, made it too early to be light beige.

Should clean up nicely.

jsowers · « **Reply #1 on:** June 16, 2018, 03:45:18 PM »

A very good deal on a fairly rare phone. Not many 556 models have shown up, or at least not to me. I think they were made for a very short time and then both the 501 and 556 tube phones were discontinued and a different scheme adopted for party lines. I'm not positive, but the 556 models may have been made for only two or three years. That would explain why they're not often seen.

You are correct about it being too early for light beige. That would have been late 1957 and after. Good detective work!

Please post some pictures of the phone after the clean-up. I bet it will look great!

RotarDad · « **Reply #2 on:** June 16, 2018, 04:20:01 PM »

I agree on the great buy and very uncommon status on the 556. The only other one I remember seeing is our man Dennis M’s Rose Beige example (pics/story here somewhere). I have a pic documenting a 7-61 501 so the desk versions continued for many years. Perhaps Bell limited party line subscribers to desk versions after a couple years to save money, especially given the declining use of party lines during that era.

poplar1 · « **Reply #3 on:** June 16, 2018, 04:31:30 PM »

Here is a dark beige 556 (556AR-55) I found:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/142806305251

RotarDad · « **Reply #4 on:** June 16, 2018, 04:37:13 PM »

Nice manual version also! Did you buy that one, poplar1?

poplar1 · « **Reply #5 on:** June 16, 2018, 04:44:40 PM »

After verifying that it was rose beige (-55), and not light beige (-60), yes, I bkught it.

Jim Stettler · « **Reply #6 on:** June 16, 2018, 06:58:06 PM »

Quote from: poplar1 on June 16, 2018, 04:44:40 PM

After verifying that it was rose beige (-55), and not light beige (-60), yes, I bkught it.

That is a very strong contender for find of the month.
JMO,
Jim S.,

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