Back in May of this year I was contacted by a gentleman in the San Francisco area.  He told me that he had been holding on to a telephone that once belonged to his grandmother.  The phone had been sitting in a closet for twenty-five years, since he purchased it from the Telephone Company after his grandmother passed.  Jim wrote in part,  “My Grandmother loved to talk on the telephone and many of my fondest memories are of her sitting in her big chair talking on it.  I believe the phone is a Western Electric Model 202 from 1930-1937.”

Jim asked if I could refurbish the phone and agreed to e-mail me photographs.  I told him that I was sure I could help and the phone was soon headed east.This is one of the photos that Jim e-mailed to me.  Attached to the ringer box was a smaller box with a switch on the top.  It was unfamiliar to me but I guessed that it either switched to a second phone line or was used to switch the ringer on and off.  It looks like there were several coats of paint after all these years.  I had my work cut out for me—but it looked like it was going to be a fun project. Read the rest of this post »

Nearly two years ago I wrote an article about a pair of Mahogany telephones made by Western Electric. About a year later I was lucky enough to come upon another example of this color—one that is not commonly found in a set of this vintage.

From my collection is this brown (Mahogany) Model 500 made by Western Electric.

1957 Mahogany Western Electric

The first of the plastic color Model 500’s were made in 1953.  Those colors were Ivory, Moss Green, Dark Gray (Oxford Gray) and Cherry Red.  In 1954 colors that were introduced were Mediterranean Blue, Pastel Yellow, Dark Beige (Rose Beige) and Mahogany.  These brown sets were discontinued in 1957, making a very short run of three years for this color.  A while ago I came upon an example of a Mahogany Western Electric that had lived a rough life.  Come with me as I take you along on my journey to refurbish this great piece of American history. Read the rest of this post »

Recently I was able to add a very nice Kellogg Model D/K 500 to my collection.  The model D/K 500 in classic black are seen from time to time on eBay.  Although they are not “rare” (an over used word on many eBay auctions) they are not as plentiful as the Westrn Electric Model 500.

It takes a trained eye to notice the difference between a black Western Electric Model 500 and a Model D/K 500,  made by The Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Co. of Chicago, Illinois. Read the rest of this post »