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Why so high? $$$ - WE 1955 Rose Beige 500 Contest #229 Guesses

Started by Pourme, September 15, 2016, 08:50:06 PM

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Pourme

My question is about the auction contest:    
Auction 229: WE 1955 Rose Beige 500 - Ends 09-21-16

I know this 500 appears to be the poster child for numbers matching phone. It's not black, I get that also. It is beige in color, I was alive and kicking in 1965 and didn't consider that color particularly rare, I could be wrong. It is a 1965 model, so in the big picture, much older phones are bringing much less. This example has rust damage. It has missing pieces. The cords don't match.

This causes me to wonder, why is it considered to be worth so much, and who is paying that much for these? If I had picked it up in my favorite "collectibles" store I wouldn't have paid over $35.00 for it. This is one of the many reasons I spend time on this forum, to enlighten my self about our hobby.

I can see why the mushroom phone is worth more than the same piece without the light.
I don't understand why this piece could be worth close to four figures.
Please enlighten me.

Thanks,
Benny
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

unbeldi

It is from 1955, not 1965.   This is the old rose-beige color that was only made until 1957. And it also still has the original neutral color (gray) cords, which are highly prized by collectors, especially the straight handset cord.
It is also called dark-beige.  This one may be a little yellowed.   You can recognize them by the white letters on the dial bezel, rather than the black lettering on the later sets, which was a light beige.

Kenton K

This phone is a rose beige, or dark beige. It was made before they switched to light beige in 1957. It is often considered one of the 4 rare original colors: brown, dark gray, dark beige, and dark blue. It is hard to see in the ebay photos, but the color is more 'purplish' than the more common light beige.

Here is a the dark rose beige next to a 1959 light beige (it looks ivory, but it is beige). You can really see the color difference. Note the numbers are white, not black. I actually think the curly rose beige and 25' line cord are really neat; I feel gray is more common.

-KK

Pourme

My bad on the date. I wouldn't have had any idea about this. Stark comparison of the two colors and the white numbers.

Thanks for the education!
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Greg G.

Quote from: unbeldi on September 15, 2016, 09:03:41 PM
...   You can recognize them by the white letters on the dial bezel, rather than the black lettering on the later sets, which was a light beige.

I never knew that!  Made me check my picture inventory of beige, all black letters. 
The idea that a four-year degree is the only path to worthwhile knowledge is insane.
- Mike Row
e

Pourme

This phone for a week was offered for sale to the highest bidder. It "only" brought $161.50. I asked on another thread for a explanation of what makes it so special.  ( http://tinyurl.com/z9tcpkq ) With all the speculation on the price, what does the final price say about the true value of this rare piece?

REF:  Auction 229: WE 1955 Rose Beige 500
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

unbeldi

Quote from: Pourme on September 22, 2016, 08:27:26 AM
This phone for a week was offered for sale to the highest bidder. It "only" brought $161.50. I asked on another thread for a explanation of what makes it so special. With all the speculation on the price, what does the final price say about the true value of this rare piece?

Nothing, or very little.  It just means there weren't enough people present at the time who were willing to pay more. It that true value ?
"True value" doesn't really exist, unless one can measure a value of a piece by, for example, how much a pound of scrap metal sells in the market place, i.e. a parameter that is derived from business margins and frequent trading.  Without that, "value" is simply the expression of an emotion.

"True value" would imply that you can resell the same item and at least get your money back.  I am sure most here have bought a phone at one time or another knowing very well we probably cannot get the same money back at the price we paid.
If it can't be sold, does it have any value?

We can only make a statement of perceived value based on the frequency of finding an item and the wishy-washy notion of desirability. The range of value for that can be surprisingly wide.  Many extremely rare items sometimes sell very cheaply, because only very few know about their history.  I would say most of us horders buy stuff because the community seems to value them.

Sargeguy

Phone prices on soft plastic seem to have "corrected" a little from what I thought was an overheated market.  Beauty is in the eye of the beholder  and although it is a hard to find color, Rose Beige is no Mediterranean Blue.  Personally I think it is the ugliest of the early 500 colors, only slightly different than the "Band-Aid" beige of the 70s.  It went for $171, not exactly a fire sale.
Greg Sargeant
Providence, RI
TCI /ATCA #4409

WEBellSystemChristian

I don't think this shows prices are 'correcting', but just that the market is in a bit of a slump.

Prices have been slowing down a little over the past few weeks. Maybe collectors tightening their belts for Christmastime?
Christian Petterson

"Whether you think you can or think you can't, you're right" -Henry Ford

jsowers

Also, don't forget this phone looked like it had been in a flood inside and the dial was rusted and locked up The phone went to the Museum, which is fortunate because it displays well.
Jonathan

Pourme

Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

jsowers

Quote from: Pourme on September 22, 2016, 02:53:41 PM
What museum got the phone?

The JKL Museum of Telephony in California. The one that recently burned to the ground. The c***n ebay handle is John LaRue.

http://jklmuseum.com/

From Terry's handles list...

oldcranker   c***n   2448   4-Jun-12   John   LaRue   USA, California   TCInews@johnlarue.net   1-Jun-99
Jonathan

Pourme

That's great!

I'm familiar with the museum through posts on the forum, didn't know the EBay ID.

Glad to hear they got the phone.
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

TelePlay

Doing a review of the auction contests and this one from about 8 months ago caught my eye. This Rose Beige sold for quite a bit more ($699), but it was in better condition.



Auction 201: WE 1955 Soft Plastic Rose Beige 500

As discussed very well above, the final sales price depends on a mix of factors on both the phone itself and the market conditions at the time of the sale.

TelePlay

Since I started the contest historical search, might as well add the other two Rose Beige 500s that were subject phones.

This contest phone sold for $357 in June 2015.



Auction 179: WE 1953 Soft Plastic Rose Beige 500 with Grey Cords

=====================

And this NOS Rose Beige sold for $355 in January 2013.



Auction 80: NOS Rose Beige WECo 500 with Original Box