Metal 302s.

[captroosh]

I came across someone selling a metal 302. What little I know is it must be prewar or at least the casing. The person who placed the ad replied to my inquiry that she actually had 2. The first one is priced at $40. From the image, the dial looks like it has its Z on the 0 and WXY on the 9. I can't seem to save the image.  However aside from a coating of dirt the phone looks ok. Can't tell what cords if any it has. My impression is it is a reasonable price. It also within reasonable driving distance. Does this sound like a reasonable price. I will try to post pictures later.

[HarrySmith]

Yes, for me I would jump on it! $40.00 for a metal 302 is very reasonable. Who knows you may end up with a 37!

[captroosh]

so here's the picture from the ad. She said she will send me some others tomorrow.

[RotarDad]

I would say it is unlikely that the pictured phone is metal.  The shell shows no exposed metal on the cradle ears or in the typical wear spots at the edges.  I believe it is is plastic, which of course will look black regardless of the abuse it has taken.  The Z on the dial plate would date it to about '52 or prior and plastic shell would be '46 or later.  So likely a very common late 40s plastic 302.

No cords showing either.  Not a great deal at $40 in my opinion. Lots of these on EBay with nice cords and with the dial card retainer for not a lot more money.

[tubaman]

I would say with almost certainty that it is a Bakelite one too.
It's clearly old and used so if metal would have paint chips - they always do.

[FABphones]

It looks like Bakelite to me as well. Maybe the other 302 is metal, ask the seller to send photos of both phones. Pop the photos up on this thread when you receive them.

Shame the dial card retainer is missing, replacing that will add to the price. As will cords if they need replacing. Ask for photos showing those too. And underneath the phones as well.

Looking forward to seeing more photos. 

[Babybearjs]

you can find the 302's for as low as $10.00! the one that's shown would be about that price... especially if the cording is missing and the phones has to have major restoration... just the handset cord alone is about $10.00 and then there's shipping... I have several 302's that I got cheap... spent about 15 to $30.00 on each and the minimum I'll sell them for is $50!

[Doug Rose]

Is is a thermoplastic set and not metal....Doug

[HarrySmith]

I agree, that does not look like a metal one to me. Also I retract my earlier post, it is not worth $40.00 in my opinion, they are a dime a dozen in plastic.

[LarryInMichigan]

I agree that it looks like plastic and probably worth about $10- $15.

Larry

[HowardPgh]

The phone in the picture looks like there is no handset cord. Offer $30 for both depending on the condition of the other one.
The big turnoff for me is cracked cases.  I usually buy these to make subsets or for spare parts.

[captroosh]

Still waiting on further pics. My thoughts as well were that it is probably plastic. This is about 1hr 40 minutes away. So add gas wear and tear on my vehicle, if it's not metal I'm gonna a pass. She said it was very heavy. Of course weight is relative. I'll keep you posted.  Thanks again for all your valuable information.

[HarrySmith]

If she owns a screwdriver you could ask her to open it up, a picture of the inside would answer any questions.

[Key2871]

Well I zoomed in on the picture too, it's plastic, and yes figure your gas, mileage in the price as everyone else is saying.
Because it could have cracked corners, and the detracts from the value. Plus the cost of cords, with shipping.
If it were metal, it would look different in the picture, plastic has its own look, metal is different. Hey it all boils down to how much you want to pay. But I would recommend looking at it before you make an offer. Because sometimes cracks don't show with a picture like that.

[captroosh]

As it stands now I'm still waiting on pictures.  But based on the info i currently have now, I am not blowing over 3 hours of my life for this. Since she has not gotten back to me I'm pretty much done with this. If something happens I'll let ya all know.