As I have illustrated in my previous posts on this topic things aren’t always what they appear to be when it comes to a Vintage Rotary Phone. I have shown some “clues” to look for when shopping for a vintage phone on eBay. However those clues hold true when looking for an old phone at antique shops, flea markets or garage sales. Take a close look at the phone and decide what is right for you. If you are happy with a telephone with plastic dial gears, a rusty bottom with cracked plastic feet or a modular handset cord that becomes worn, loose and pops out of the handset when pulled tight then your shopping adventure will be an easy one. On the other hand with just a little knowledge and some time spent looking around you will be able to find a nice vintage telephone—built over a half century ago that will work beautifully for you for years to come. So it’s time to sum up some of the points of my earlier articles to answer the question: Is it really from 1957? Read the rest of this post »

In previous articles I have pointed out some important factors to look for when searching for that nice Vintage Rotary Phone. I have talked about handsets, cords, dials, modular plugs and the foot pads. In this article I have chosen another telephone from a completed eBay listing to point out just a few more examples of clues that can be gleaned from the photos alone. This time our example telephone was advertised as being from 1955. Let’s take a look at this one. We must decide how picky we want to be but it’s better to be overly critical and then decide what you as a buyer are willing to accept. On the surface this looks like a nice phone—and remember, even with replacement parts it is probably over forty years old. There are a couple of things that jump out at me when I look at the phone that is said to be from 1955. Read the rest of this post »

In my last post I pointed out some clues revealed by an eBay listing photograph. We are trying to determine if a Vintage Rotary Phone is actually from 1957 as the listing advertises. Based on our clues in posting #2 we are skeptical. Today we will examine a couple more pictures and the text of the listing to confirm our suspicions that the telephone is actually a refurbished phone with parts and pieces that span a decade. In a case like this, the buyer must do some research in order to know more about the item than the seller—or at least as much.The view of the back of the phone confirms that the feet are indeed round and plastic. An indication that they were added much later than 1957. Also the plastic housing has had a corner notched at the back to allow for a modern modular jack, so a new 4-pin telephone line cord could be plugged into the phone. But what else can we learn? Read the rest of this post »

We have found a telephone that just might be THE one. The seller tells us by way of his title that the phone is a Western Electric model 500 from 1957. We are shown a few photos. But let’s analyze the first one. The casual eBay user, and first time vintage phone buyer may not know what a 1957 model 500 should look like.
This photo gives the viewer several clues as to the vintage of this telephone. To begin with, in 1957 the handset cords were hard wired. That means they were permanently attached to the telephone, both at the handset and at the phone using internal screws. The hardwired cords are round and thick. Here we see a flat cord that appears to be “plugged” into the handset and the case. But the angle of the photo doesn’t really show how the handset cord is attached for sure. We will have to investigate that further. Modular cords were not put on model 500 telephones until much later than 1957–probably in the mid to late 1960’s. Read the rest of this post »