Took a shot on this WE 202...

[Doug Rose]

It' s back



https://www.ebay.com/itm/Rotary-Telephone-Corded-Retro-Phone-Vintage/253387292288

?hash=item3aff0f3e80:g:ymoAAOSwgLlaXh0p

[Partyline4]

I was able to get a refund and I told the seller to please list the phone for what it is - a fake! 

I see he kept the original listing...Oh well, at least anyone on here will quickly learn what it is before pulling their trigger.

[HarrySmith]

He did add "is a reproduction" to the description.

[Jim Stettler]

I've never seen a reproduced E1, especially with brass trim...If you look closely in the photos, the body is made of "brass" too...

Dial guy Steve Hilzs had brass 302 housings  made years ago. I think they came from Korea.
Other people may of done the same  with other phones and parts.
For your consideration,
Jim S.

[Partyline4]

He did add "is a reproduction" to the description.

That didn't deter me. I thought he didn't know what he was talking about....I told him to put the brand and what phone it resembles....

[Partyline4]

Dial guy Steve Hilzs had brass 302 housings  made years ago. I think they came from Korea.
Other people may of done the same  with other phones and parts.
For your consideration,
Jim S.

I think there's a homemade AE 40 on eBay that's at a high figure right now... The seller cast the phone himself from a resin

[AE_Collector]

You forgot the at the end of that post!

Shows the range of "repro" phones available out there!

Terry

[TelePlay]

I think there's a homemade AE 40 on eBay that's at a high figure right now... The seller cast the phone himself from a resin

I think you are referring to this phone:

     http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=19662.0

and it's really not home made in that the internals are all original and the housing has be cast, using an original housisng to make the molds, with a clear resin. The seller has also done this with colored resins and his "reproductions" sell for top, top dollar.

As an FYI, he has been doing this with his company, Recumbent Castings, for some 20 years (more or less) and produces a phone nothing like the pieced together stuff. Take a lot of time, money and expertise to create the molds, cast the resins and re-assemble the phones.

He had a great web site and Picassa/Google albums showing his work which is not available right now due to web hosting issues.



Here are a couple other of his re-cast housing classic phones:

[Doug Rose]

I have one of Ray's clear 302s that I got as a kit (just the clear parts and a cool Ray made worlds fair dial card) about ten years ago. It still looks as nice as the day I got it. No yellowing. I would recommend 100% to anyone on the fence. People who visit my phone room always comments on it. Well worth the $$ I paid 10 years ago. My investment value has had definitely increased with time....Doug

[Dan/Panther]

Well, look on the bright side. You can always make this one look authentic and use it for daily use. Even though it's reproduction, it's still built well--simply swap out the dial for a later WE one.

Dan, I believe you did this to a repro candlestick once...

www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=259

I have since added all original WE parts. It looks great.

D/P

[AL_as_needed]

I have been wanting a 202 for some time to help round out my collection. After looking at Dan's thread about his cool candlestick "back dating", might be something worth trying. Of course nothing beats an original, but when on a budget.....

[Partyline4]

I think you are referring to this phone:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=19662.0

Ah, that's the one! My oh my I had no idea he was that big into it.

I think it's great and everything, but I'm more of an original kind of guy.

I admire his abilities, though. I'm sure he spends a lot of money on casting silicone, and many hours finding good parts and such.

Very nice work.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Ah, that's the one! My oh my I had no idea he was that big into it.

I think it's great and everything, but I'm more of an original kind of guy.

I admire his abilities, though. I'm sure he spends a lot of money on casting silicone, and many hours finding good parts and such.

Very nice work.

Well, define "original". Original parts, or original design, colors, etc? The housings/handsets may not be original parts from the 1940s, nor do I believe they are made of the exact plastic type, but (other than the last one) they are as factory spec as you could possibly get today.

The molds he uses are copied exactly from their respective phones, and the colors he molds them in are original. Put a NOS color Type 40 next to one of his creations, and I doubt you could tell them apart very easily, other than details here and there designed so that you can tell them apart.

They'd be worth about the same as well...

[TelePlay]

Somewhere in the forum was a discussion a few years ago of having him put a manufacturer's mark of his design on his castings so that people decades from now would be able to tell an original housing from one of his housings. The idea came about from the fact that they are that good, that close to the original housings when using/casting original colors.

I can imagine, but can not afford, to have an Orchid AE40 on my shelf, one that I know wouldn't turn blue in a few years.