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Need help est value of Independent colored + 1921 Round Bell Public Tel Flanges

Started by rfkimba, March 26, 2018, 05:36:42 AM

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rfkimba

Hi collectors: 

Can anyone offer their opinion as to the retail value range of these two excellent condition  porcelain phone signs that I was recently offered to purchase?
The Independent appears to be early with makers mark and heavy porcelain ledging .

Thanks,

Bob Farber ATCA, TCI

Sargeguy

Condition is everything with common signs like these.  A mint sign will generally fetch 100% more than an average condition example of the same sign.  I have seen pretty good examples of the Bell sign go for $175-$225. In mint condition I'd expect it to fetch $250 or so.  I'm not too confident in my estimate of the generic Independent, maybe $250-$300 if it is mint???
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Sargeguy

I just noticed that the edge is chewed up on the Independent, so revise my estimate accordingly.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

Signguy

If you are willing to purchase signs on someone elses advice you are making a big mistake. Yes, advice can help but by now you should know prices on your own. They
are worth what you are willing to pay, not a dollar more. If you feel you still want advice post what the seller is asking and stop playing games.

Fabius

They both appear to be nice signs. I would value the independent sign a little bit higher since other then the edge chips it appears in nice shape. It's not unusual to see them with faded red. For some reason several mint round signs as shown have hit the market.

What is the seller's asking price on them and I'll be glad to give my opinion.

As Greg says you should be developing some idea as to sign values. Ebay is not the definitive answer as to sign value but it will give you an idea as to value. Go to eBay and search the sold auctions for telephone signs and see what sold for what price and what did not sell and what was the asking price.
Tom Vaughn
La Porte, Indiana
ATCA Past President
ATCA #765
C*NET 1+ 821-9905

rfkimba

Hi collectors,
The seller of the 18x17 independent pictured in the 3 attachments had asked for my initial  offer without an asking price indicating a lack of knowledge  of pricing . I did and always do  very  carefully  study the available data bases  before asking for input. Ebay sold listings  for porcelain telephone signs  only  goes back to 1/2018. Morford Auctions had one comparable sold for $231 in 3/2011(see screenshot). A very  beat up version sold for $187.50 very recently on Ebay. A Collector's Guide to Antique Porcelain Telephone Signs V3 by Bob Alexander lists this sign at $350-400  witout a conditions with a copyright date of 2010. As I have been collecting signs for 28 months I  have seen very few of this design and even less in this nice but not mint condition .  So
as to avoid offending a potential  seller with an offer that was too low I was seeking all possible feedback hopefully without snarky comments .
I did prompt the seller again  for a desired price and received a price of $650 + shipping.
I deem this  to be too high and full retail.
Thanks for your assistance.
Bob Farber

rfkimba

Hi ,
The 1921 Round Bell Public Telephone Flange is described as 14" in round  diameter and 16.5" from flange to edge. I have seen this style in  references described as made in 18" and 16" diameters.
I could only find one  similar comparison in the available EBay sold listings from Jan 2018. It is in  somewhat lesser condition  and says  "Connections" . I could not find another recent sale for the offered type but it is listed at $175 to 200 in the Alexander book from 2010.
The seller with additional prompting now  wants $300 + shipping. I judge this as high as there is some minor  damage in the  main field on both sides in or adjacent to  the letter B.
Any thoughts on value?
Thanks,
Bob Farber

Sargeguy

I have to say that it looks like those Independent signs go for a little more than I initially thought, but $650 does seem a little high, but then again I'm fairly cheap.  One of the round Bell System signs you reference is the "Connections" version which carries a premium over the standard version.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409