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 »