Western Electric Model 500 – Is It Really From 1957? #3

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?Here we see another photo that the seller has provided of the bottom of the phone. A sticker identifying the phone as once being the Property of New England Telephone & Telegraph Co. As always “back in the day” the phone company owned the phone, the user just leased it. But right there is the refurbish date. In August of 1977 the phone was refurbished at a Western Electric refurbishing center. At that time the phones were updated. If the Original phone had leather feet and one may have been torn, all were removed and replaced with the most modern foot pad of the day. In this case in 1977 the most modern foot pad was the round plastic foot. The plastic was then updated with a notched housing. The G1 handset would have been changed for a lighter G3 plastic handset with a modular plug and the modular cord. Often the dial mechanism was also changed. In this case it appears as though the original was left in place.

This is what the seller had to say about this telephone:

This Western Electric 1957 Black Rotary Phone has a metal dial and a modern plug. It is desk style with a Bakelite body, metal gears, volume control for ringer and metal base. Marked on the bottom C/D 500 9/7. Also has a sticker that reads Property of New Eng Tel & Tel Co. On the back of the phone under the handset rest it reads Made By Western Electric. The hand set is marked Bell System Property Not For Sale Western Electric. Plastic cover for dial is missing. I plugged the phone in, it gets a dial tone and you can dial out. When I called in to house phone from my cell phone, it did not ring. I don’t know if the volume was turned off or if something is wrong with the ringer. When I called my cell phone from it, my cell phone did ring. It is in very good condition with no chips, cracks or repairs to the body. I do not know if repairs have made to the mechanical workings of the phone.

I believe the seller was not being dishonest in his/her listing, perhaps mistaken. If we look at the second sentence the seller says it has a Bakelite body. These phones never had a Bakelite body, it is a plastic body…but again it was the seller’s belief that it was Bakelite, not an attempt to mislead. People often want to believe they have something special on their hands. The word “rare” is used very often in the eBay community. It’s use is certainly not rare. The seller indicates the phone has on the bottom C/D 500 9/7. I believe one digit was worn away and it actually was the original date of the base of the phone—-September 1957. Something made this seller believe the phone is from 1957. When a seller says the phone will not ring that is not reason alone to keep looking. Many of these older Western Electric model 500’s need only the movement of one wire to make them ring. They were originally wired for party line use and that is why they do not ring without the movement of the wire.

In my next posting I will write more about dates, where on the phones internal parts dates are located. I will show another photo or two from actual eBay listings that point to other clues that will help the reader to find the best phone possible.

Come back tomorrow when once again we will ask, Is It Really From 1957?