Classic Rotary Phones Forum

New forum members are very welcome and encouraged to take a guess. After all, there are no wrong guesses, just one lucky one. No one knows the winning bid on any auction until it ends. However, it is important to get your guess in before someone else grabs your guess.

This is starting as a special auction contest just for the fun. Listed about 5 hours ago in a 7 day auction with no reserve but starting at a very high $400 (and with no bids as of this contest start, and the price was increased to $499 over night by the seller and shipping lowered to $65 from $100) is an odd but interesting and HUGE solid wood carving of a D1/E1 desk set for display (the handset is 30" long - see description for all measurements). Quite a good carving but not sure of the value so a special contest is started and if a bid or two is placed quickly, it will be converted to a real contest - don't count on that, maybe.

Since it is starting high, I've also attached a poll with two choices, will sell and won't sell. Please place a guess, an estimate of what you think it is worth and then vote in the poll.

You can vote in the poll without taking a guess.

So, who thinks they know what this item "might" sell for (and you can guess below $400 to register your estimate of value if you think it will not sell) when the auction ends?

NOTE: Since this may become a "counts" auction contest, we will use a $5.00 gap rule between guesses to prevent crowding. As such, keep your guess at least $5.00 away from prior guesses for this contest. In a bit of a change to special contests, since it may be converted over, we will allow one guess and the ability to revise that guess once as long as all guesses and revisions are entered at least 24 hours before the auction ends.

The seller listed it as an "ANTIQUE WOODEN TELEPHONE, 1930'S, I J FOX, NYC , HUGE", the item condition as "Used" and " - - - " and with the auction listing description saying "1940'S ANTIQUE WOOD TELEPHONE -- STICKERS SAY: -- NEW YORK WOOD WORKING CORP -- CABINENT MAKERS AND GENERAL WOOD WORKERS -- NEW YORK NY -- FROM WHAT I KNOW, THIS WAS USED IN THE SELLING WINDOWS OF IJ FOX THE WORLDS LARGEST FURRIERS AT THE TIME -- THE BASE IS OVAL AND 44 INCHES AROUND THE PHONE PART YOU LISTEN AND SPEAK THRU IS 30 INCHES IN LENGTH --16 1/2 INCHES HIGH -- THE CORD IS AROUND 24 INCHES IN LENGTH -- ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE ASK -- SHIP USA ONLY -- IF YOU LIVE IN PHILADELPHIA REGION YOU CAN PICK IT UP -- I AM CHARGING $100 SHIPPING HOWEVER IF IT IS LESS I WILL REFUND THE DIFFERENCE -- UNDER $100........ANYTHING OVER $100 I WILL PAY -- I WILL BE USING UPS TO PACK AND SHIP AS I CANNOT WRAP IT -- THIS ITEMS WEIGHS AROUND 25 TO 30 POUNDS."

http://www.ebay.com/itm/222694562102

Since this is starting as a "special rules" no winner contest, the best guesser will not be included in the CRPF Auction Contest Hall of Fame or be counted in the CRPF Contest Standings as a win. For now, this one is just for fun, the best guesser will take a place in the Special Auction Contest Standings (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13212.msg138775#msg138775), somehow, I hope.

If the reserve is met, this contest will be converted into a "counts" contest and the winner will either get on or move up a rung in the CRPF -> Contest Standings <- (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4198.0) list,

     . . . for as twocvbloke said,   ---> "You gotta be in it to win it !!!" ;D "


S C O R E B O A R D

$    149.99 - TelePlay  ( 2 )
$    500.00 - wds  ( 3 )
$    575.00 - tallguy58  ( 1 )
$    601.00 - Russ Kirk  ( 6 )
$    660.00 - Duffy  ( 5 )
$ 1,795.00 - david@london  ( 4 )


Early Morning Auction Status

10-26-17     Listed        $  400.00
10-27-17     0  bids       $  499.00
10-28-17     0  bids       $  499.00
10-29-17     0  bids       $  499.00
10-30-17     0  bids       $  499.00
10-31-17     0  bids       $  499.00
11-01-17     0  bids       $  499.00
11-02-17     0  bids       $  499.00
11-02-17     (No Bids Placed - Did Not Sell)  Ended at 18:09 PDT

I really wonder if it's going to sell as the history is quite interesting, but no proof if it's true. Anyway, I found a nice pin on the net with even the old exchange name and three letters 4 numbers. (Also I'm not sure if this belongs to a threat like this, if not, please remove)

Haf

Quote from: Haf on October 27, 2017, 04:27:29 AM
I really wonder if it's going to sell as the history is quite interesting, but no proof if it's true. Anyway, I found a nice pin on the net with even the old exchange name and three letters 4 numbers.

Great pin and it does match the item so a good place to post the image. But you forgot to take a guess or place you estimate of its value and vote in the poll . . .    ;) .

Now I know the seller does not want to sell the wood phone because over the past few hours, he increased the opening bid from a very high $400 to an even higher $499 plus $100 shipping.

Seems the seller just wants to buy it back from himself by upping his bid by $100. At that rate, the opening bid will be over $1,000 before the auction ends, and probably with no bids other than the seller's.

Special Auction Contests are put up to document rare and/or interesting items for someone's posterity - not sure whose. But it's up and will stay up to the very end, the point at which the seller will send money to himself and keep the phone (and saves on shipping).

My feeling is the starting price is too high therefore no bids. If I'm wrong, then I say $575

$149.99

No market or if so, just one buyer.

Seller dropped the shipping price from $100 to $65 after he raised the price to $499.

Poll is split on sell/no sell - have to vote to see the results. Poll runs through the end of auction minus one day.

I'll go $500

It won't sell because there are real phones like it for sale for much less.

it would be interesting to find some history about this.

$1,795.00

666.00

Quote from: andre_janew on October 27, 2017, 05:33:26 PM
It won't sell because there are real phones like it for sale for much less.

Not really. This is the one and only solid wood carved E1/D1 that I've ever seen. This attached is a close approximation of what a normal D1 found in great quantity of eBay would look like if sitting on the table next to this 25-30 pound carving with a 30" long handset.

There are absolutely no other items, not even one item like this for sale on eBay.

The selling price of this phone, if it sells, will be the result of one or more serious collectors wanting it. That giant pink Princess went to a museum. This may also. Time will tell if there is a market demand for this phone . . .

$601

Could it be a prototype mock up ?
D/P

some iformation i received from the seller -

My grandfather was ij fox' s partner and many years ago I saw it in his ny office and I said I wanted it for the phila store and he gave it to me. The phone was used in the I j Fox window for some kind of fur storage promotion.
it has a label on it that says new york wood working corp cabinet makers general wood workers ny
in reference to specially made for ij fox i do not know but would guess it was due to the size and my grandfathers abd ij fox liked to show off

Auction ended the way it started, no bids.

The seller kept changing things. The member who tipped me off to the phone said he saw it listed at $99.00 but when I started the contest, 5  hours later, the starting bid was up to $400 and then the next day it was $499.

The original listing title was worded "ANTIQUE WOODEN TELEPHONE, 1930'S, I J FOX, NYC , HUGE" but somewhere along the way, it was changed to "ANTIQUE WOODEN TELEPHONE,(METAL?) 1930'S, I J FOX, NYC , HUGE" and I'm not sure where the "metal" came from.

The item did not sell so not much more to say other than thanks to all those who voted in the poll (ended up 6 sell and 6 no sell) and thanks to those who played along and entered a guess.

If it's relisted at $9.99 with no reserve, it might show up again, maybe.

Relisted for $499 starting bid, 7 days auction.

Haf

Quote from: Haf on November 02, 2017, 07:33:18 PM
Relisted for $499 starting bid, 7 days auction.

Haf

Been there, done that, moving on . . .


That might have been one of those auto relists up to 3 times that eBay offers. Better pictures showing the size of it would help, as would knocking $490 off the list price. Seller wants to keep it, I guess.

This may turn out to be a close cousin of the pink 500 P/U that's been on eBay for 2 to 3 years now with a BIN of $650 or so.

I didn't realize the wood phone was much larger than the real thing.  Even so, why buy a fake phone for around $500 when you can get a real one for much less?  That was what I was talking about!

I can't see how someone wouldn't spring for that...I can't imagine the hours it took to carve that out by hand - maybe using a duplicator???

Seems like someone really professional did the job - definitely not amateur night.

If I had oodles of money I would have bought it.

https://tinyurl.com/y78xzqy5 (https://tinyurl.com/y78xzqy5)

It apparently finally sold for $299.99 on 10/15/2018

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