Vintage Western Electric Bell System 52 operators headset / carbon microphone

Description

This is a vintage (I'm guessing late 1930s / early 40s) Bell System 52 made by Western Electric with a carbon microphone in it. These were used at switchboards by operators at the telephone company and serve two purposes these days 1. To look way cool on a shelf (which has been its current function, look at that metal / black / clear combo. So sharp!) and 2. To modify as a DIY / lo-fi carbon microphone (as these look WAY cooler than those ugly beige phone mics you see). I always planned on doing #2 as well, but it was part of a lot of military patchbays I bought 20ish years ago from I believe Canada, and it's sat for those past 20 years, so it needs to find a new home, especially since we are at a point where we just need to sell some things.
Condition-wise, I would say it is in average shape for being 80ish years old. Everything is scuffed pretty good on it, but it appears largely complete (excepting the actual head attachment). Everything rotates as it should, the carbon element is clearly visible through the earpiece (and lo-fi mics always use the ear piece). The bottom part is missing its element, but all the contacts are there. And, like all 80 year old headsets, it will take work and parts to make work. So, with that in mind, I have listed it really inexpensive (especially compared to any of these that get listed, which are in worse shape) as I am selling it as either 1. A shelf sitter for display or 2. A foundation for a a DIY project, as likely you will have to replace nearly all of the components in this to get it functioning. So be prepared to get tinkering! But again, all that being said, it is an awesome display piece, and absolutely killer visually so it is worth putting the time into for a carbon mic project, and it's priced right! Don't miss out!