Auction 32 - Western Electric TT Trials Version

[Phonesrfun]

Hmmm. Not going up nearly as fast as I thought, and I don't see anything mentioned int either the ATCA or TCI forums.

Maybe its a dud.

[mienaichizu]

$150 for me

[Phonesrfun]

Gee, less than an hour and only $104

I got outbid on my 99 cent bid   

[McHeath]

Very interesting.  30 minutes to go and 9 bids, but not much price.  Wonder if it's going to do a last 30 seconds insane bid war?

[JorgeAmely]

Sold for $600!

[bingster]

If my cackle-ations are right, that makes Dan our winner!  Hmmm... This auction was Dan's idea, and Dan's the winner.  You got some 'splainin to do! 

Congratulations, Dan!  And stay tuned for the next auction!

[Dan]

Wow, what are the  odds I guessed right from the beginning! I couldn't even slot my guess between the others! I'm glad it sold for a lot because i thought it looked rare and legit. And no,   I wasn't the winning bidder either

[Phonesrfun]

Congratulations, at least on your guessing skills, Dan.  Can I interest you in a trip to Las Vegas??

Ha ha.

[McHeath]

Congrads to the winna!

I confess to being puzzled by the price, if there were only 200 of them made, and the survival rate has to be low, and it's a rare touch tone prototype, then why so little?  (as if 600 is little)

Ah e-bay. 

[Phonesrfun]

I don't believe the 200 figure either.  A while back there was an e-Bay auction for a Western Electric A1 that the seller claimed that there were only 200 of them made in 1927.  Well, it is true that they were only made for one year and that they were quickly replaced by the "B" mount commonly called a 102, but it seems like so many serious collectors have one.  About once every week or two one shows up on e-Bay.  They usually go for about $800 to $1,000 but they certainly are out there, and there had to have been thousands and thousands of them made.  I even have one.  (I probably paid too much)   

Sellers often like to use, shall we say, a little puffery in describing their goods.

All that being said, I think I really would have liked to have had that phone.  I could not afford to do any serious bidding on it, and I think that it probably was original, and if so, the buyer probably got a good deal.