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In 1952 Western Electric came up with a new model of
telephone to replace the 302 which had been in service since 1937. The new design was the
500, which went on to be produced for the next several decades.
The problem with the newly designed 500 was that the network used was not
very efficient and long lines (houses far from the central office) suffered a terrible
quality problem. The phone company decided not to replace the reliable 302 models in these
situations. Well, the rural customers wouldn't have it, they wanted the fancy new phones
just like everybody else. To make these customers happy and have a phone that works
properly at the same time, Western Electric developed a 500 like shell to replace the
original 302 shell giving the impression of a newly designed phone. With this change, the
rural customers had a reliable 302 and a good looking 500 all in one. Later in the 1950s
they developed a network that overcame the problems of long lines and the 5302 was no
longer needed and phased out.
About the only way to tell the difference between a 500 and a 5302 is to
look behind the handset cradle. On the 500, there is a ledge of about 1.5 inches, on the
5302, it cuts off right after the cradle ears.
$85.00 + $9.95 shipping
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If you would like reproduction cloth cords, you can upgrade for an additional $20 by
clicking here after purchasing the phone.
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