http://www.ebay.com/itm/162026842102
I believe all original except line cord too.... A bit of a story on this one. I saw it just as it listed with a start price of $14.99 and no BIN. I clicked on it to take a closer look and Ebay said the auction was ended due to an error. OK, someone either tipped the seller or offered him a price to end the auction. Not knowing for sure I kept clicking on that seller's items to see if it came back up. If it was relisted at something like $500, I was planning to hit the BIN myself. It did pop back up maybe 10 minutes later with $1500 BIN and a Make Offer. I thought about it for a couple minutes, and then remembered that Dan (D/P) was hunting a 49er. It was richly priced, but still I thought I would quickly IM him. However, I think the "special buyer" was ready to pounce at their agreed $1500, and I believe it was gone before I even typed the first letter in my note to Dan.
They are out there..... Even a sighting is pretty exciting, even if neither Dan nor I had a shot at it.... unless of course, D/P was the "special buyer".... Dan???
It did sell for less than $1500:
Bell systems western electric model 500 11-49 black
$1,500.00
Best offer accepted
+$13.45 shipping
View similar active items
Sell one like this
Apr-02 19:42
Seller: hollisterlaser(405) 100%
Item: 162026842102
Item image
Bell systems western electric model 500 11-49 black
$14.99
0 bids
+$13.45 shipping
View similar active items
Sell one like this
It is great to see the photos, Paul. I hope your blood pressure is gradually returning to normal after watching the episode unfold.
The photos show the November 49 phones are apparently identical to the early 1950 sets we have seen - except, of course, for the dates. We still need to find earlier 1949 sets to see when they changed from the bottom marking style used on the July 1949 set in the Seattle museum.
I believe Dan is really looking for an October phone, but I'm sure either he or I would have been glad to be the lucky buyer.
Quote from: poplar1 on April 02, 2016, 11:32:22 PM
It did sell for less than $1500:
Bell systems western electric model 500 11-49 black
$1,500.00
Best offer accepted
+$13.45 shipping
View similar active items
Sell one like this
Apr-02 19:42
Seller: hollisterlaser(405) 100%
Item: 162026842102
Item image
Bell systems western electric model 500 11-49 black
$14.99
0 bids
+$13.45 shipping
View similar active items
Sell one like this
Hmmm... This is what I see...
Paul - Yes, I think I've recovered...... I actually debated on the $1500...... probably well worth it, and I could have sold it for more. But, $1500 on a phone wouldn't square with my sensibilities, (or my wife). I don't think I had time to bid anyway, with the way this one went down, but at least I had the thrill of considering it.......
I agree with you on the price. January 1950 500s seem to be virtually identical. Is the magic 1949 date really worth that much more?
How do others feel? Is $1500 reasonable, too high or too low?
Paul - There was a 10/49 that sold maybe a year back that went pretty high as an auction, but I can't remember exactly - was it $1200? That one had a correct base, net, eq, & ringer, but the rest (including dial bezel) was much later if I remember correctly.... Others like Poplar1 will have the history to report back....
I think the 1949 date is what makes it so valuable, not to mention the dial bezel. They so rarely come up for sale. When you think about how many people would actually pay $1500 for one of these, it probably was a reasonable price. Just my two pennies.
Quote from: RotarDad on April 02, 2016, 11:59:33 PM
Paul - There was a 10/49 that sold maybe a year back that went pretty high as an auction, but I can't remember exactly - was it $1200? That one had a correct base, net, eq, & ringer, but the rest (including dial bezel) was much later if I remember correctly.... Others like Poplar1 will have the history to report back....
I remember that one. It sold in October 2014 for $919.
5-59 ringer
8-49 network - 425A
10-10-49 equalizer
10-49 stamped on bottom
2-52 7A dial
8-18-57 housing
Quote from: RotarDad on April 02, 2016, 11:09:58 PM
http://www.ebay.com/itm/162026842102
They are out there..... Even a sighting is pretty exciting, ...
And best of all, the pictures aren't all fuzzy like pictures of Sasquatches!
Quote from: Brinybay on April 03, 2016, 12:38:32 AM
And best of all, the pictures aren't all fuzzy like pictures of Sasquatches!
Thanks to the clear pictures, did anyone else notice this, or am I seeing something that is not there? Seems like damage to the shell to the right of the WE emblem. Seller says dusty and dirty but states no damage. Maybe it's just dirt lit up just right. Just saying.
Looks like a hard water stain to me.
Someone here was talking about the dates and weather they changes from early 1949 to the later half when this 500 was built, and i have to say that the subject 500 in this thread looks to be identical to my 500 from 12/50, if anyone wants comparison photos i will post them, and the dial bezel would be the only difference so i stand to correct myself on that.
There are comparison photos of Dan's '48, the Seattle museum's set marked July '49 with a 9-49 network, and a production '50 set here, following several discussions in other topics a few years ago...
http://www.paul-f.com/we500_Early.html (http://www.paul-f.com/we500_Early.html)
The question is, did the seller shoot himself in the foot? I would imagine that phone could have brought more than $1500. If there were 2 or more dedicated collectors with some cash bidding against each other, you could be looking at some major $$$. I don't have much of a budget for my collection, but there's a good chance I might have jumped in.
Quote from: paul-f on April 02, 2016, 11:49:37 PM
I agree with you on the price. January 1950 500s seem to be virtually identical. Is the magic 1949 date really worth that much more?
How do others feel? Is $1500 reasonable, too high or too low?
A '49 500 set is nice, and I certainly would be happy to add one to my collection; however, if I was going to spend $1000 or more on a phone, I can think of many other items I would much rather spend it on. Different strokes for different folks.
DF
If it had been mine and I wanted $1500 for it, I would have had that as the starting price as podor mentioned. If it didn't sell, there is always next week. That is just me.
I do agree with Dave, it is cool but....Doug
It says best offer accepted, I wonder what the accepted offer was. The guy obviously did not have a clue what he had.
D/P
I bet it was a foreign speculator probably from Japan.
I've often heard that the first and last of a particular model are the most valuable. 1949 was the first year for the WE 500. What year was the last WE 500 was made? Has anyone seen a 500 from that year sell?
I contcated the seller, HOLD ONTO YOUR SEAT. He accepted $400.00.
D/P
I guess lowballers sometimes win! A lot of Craigslist ads say no lowballers but if you don't mind rejection, it must pay off sometimes. I have tried best offer on eBay & been countered with almost the listing price, so I gave up on the idea, I guess I was wrong again ;) This guy had some nerve offering only $400 but it payed off, I think any of us would pay $400!
Here is one possible scenario: the seller -- not someone experienced with phones -- listed it with a $14.99 starting price at 17:25 P.D.T.....a collector (or just a dealer?) sees it, and makes a $400 offer, if the seller will only end the auction right away. The buyer knows it may go for $1000. He tells the seller to list it at $1500 BIN with a "Best Offer Accepted" option, just to scare off any other buyers, who will, in any case (unless the "automatically accept offers above $x" option has been activated), have to "get in line" behind the guy offering $400. The telephone is relisted at $1500 BIN, buyer offers the pre-agreed on $400, and seller accepts offer -- only 17 minutes after the original $14.99 listing.
It's possible that the seller on his own decided to cancel the $15 auction, to replace it with a $1500 BIN if he meant to start it at $1,499 but hit 14.99 --- not likely. I just don't think he knew it was worth more than the usual $25-$50 black 500s sell for, and was happy to get 10 times the usual selling price for common 500s.
This did show up right after the auction as sold for $1500 (incorrectly), but it did say "best offer accepted." However, today, doing a search of completed items, and sorting by "highest first", it does show that it sold for $400. This search can be used to estimate the final selling price of a best offer accepted, though usually it will be a range (somewhere above the next lowest sale and below the next highest sale.)
http://www.ebay.com/sch/Telephones-/38036/i.html?LH_Complete=1&_sop=3&_pgn=10&_skc=450&rt=nc
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Vintage 1st Payphone Sign Original 1965 Israel w/ frame
$400.00
Buy It Now
+$30.00 shipping
View similar active items
Sell one like this
Apr-02 01:38
From Israel
Seller: mendymocher(1,940) 100% View seller's store: N-E-THING-WORLDWIDE
Item: 111924344259
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bell systems western electric model 500 11-49 black
$1,500.00
Best offer accepted
+$13.45 shipping
View similar active items
Sell one like this
Apr-02 19:42
Seller: hollisterlaser(405) 100%
Item: 162026842102
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Automatic Electric 2-Line AA-24/26 Black & Brass Telephone
$400.00
Buy It Now
There is another scenario that is possible that I recently discovered. If a buyer sends you a message with an offer to end the auction and sell it to them for a fixed price, there is a button for the seller to "send a member an offer", where you put in the price the person offered, and an "offer" message is sent to that person, and only that person. This way, if you're the buyer, you don't have to worry about hitting the new "buy it now" button before anyone else sees it. When they accept your offer (which is really the buyer's offered price), the item is marked sold and the auction is over. I'm not sure if this is for regular auctions though, the item I was selling was a "buy it now" with no "make offer" option. It's possible the seller changed it to a "buy it now" for $1500 first, and then sent the buyer an offer. In my case, the original "buy it now" price was still listed after it was sold.
Jim
Thanks Dan (D/P) for following this one up, and Poplar1 for doing the detailed research. It sounds like I did have an opportunity to hit the BIN at $1500 and buy the phone. I certainly could have been first to see it, as I kept hitting the refresh button on new listings for that seller to see if he would relist after ending the "$14.99 start" version. I always try to "choose without regret", and Ebay helps hone that practice. If it were listed again at $1500, I would not be a bidder. However at $400-500, I would have hit the button immediately.....