Banner week for 302s

[bingster]

They're coming out of the woodwork, now.  Four colored thermoplastic 302 auctions are running right now.  There are auctions for ivory, grey green, old rose, and an absolutely stunning Pekin red.  The only thing missing is the fabled dark blue.

What I wouldn't give for a winning lottery ticket.  Not a big one, just a small one.  Enough for a technicolor set of 302s. 

Grey Green  |  Old Rose  |  Ivory  |  Pekin Red

[McHeath]

Holy Party Line Batman, those are some sweeeet phones!  Put the Pekin red one on my Christmas list.

[Mark Stevens]

Well, since our "buttonless D1" runs out in less than a day and a half, perhaps we should adopt one of them as our next contest phone?  Bingster, you're our trusted Contest Director, what say ye? 

[bingster]

I forgot to mention that there was another great 302 auction that ended this week.  It was for what appeared to be a perfect painted dark gold metallic job.  I can't remember off the top of my head, but it didn't go for much.  I have a theory that the original painted ones don't sell well because people automatically assume they've been spray painted by a homeowner.  Or maybe not, since any serious collector would recognize that color.  Odd.  Anyway, on to the question of the day:

I've actually been wondering if the red will be snapped up by buy-it-now before the auction ends.  I'm a little surprised that it hasn't been, already.  It seems like I've seen the reds go for more than what they're asking for this one.  So I'm going to pick the red one.  Two parts this time.  A) Do you think buy-it-now will be clicked before the auction's end, and B) If it isn't, at what price will this one sell?

[Dennis Markham]

As you said, these red 302's seem to bring the most money, second only to the blue ones.  The color is called Peking Red.  I am assuming you are talking about this phone:  http://tinyurl.com/55jed9

They show a finger wheel as being found in the box.  That finger wheel is not intended to be used on that phone.  The dial on that phone appears to be a 5J dial.  The retainer clip that holds the finger wheel in place is one of the first ones for the Lucite finger wheels.  They are a little more difficult than the pin in the hole method of removing the wheel.  That other retainer clip that they show in the photo is used to hold a later model dial, a #8 or #9 dial to the plastic dial ring on a W.E. model 500.  It's useless with this photo.  However none of that is a big deal, open center finger wheels, which should be on this dial are available.  That alone should not have a bearing on the selling price.  I think that finger wheel (shown) would fit like an open face finger wheel but it is not intended to be on that dial. 

That red coiled handset cord is very nice.  I have seen these phones sell for the Buy It Now price but I think as someone else suggested, things are right right now.  Based on the fact that a red 500 sold for $400 on Sunday night (absolutely way too much but a couple got into a bidding war), $600 is not a bad price for this phone.  If you have a blue one....maybe $4,000.  That's what I have been told.  I was hoping Santa would bring me one...no luck yet!

There's my 2 cents worth on the Peking Red phone.  Very nice indeed.  Wish I could find one in my closet!

[bingster]

Ahh, that explains why I had never seen that odd retainer clip before.  Those particular lucite finger wheels are a bear to work with.  I have one on an ivory 354, and it's only been off once for cleaning.  After struggling with it, and fearing breaking the wheel, chipping the dial plate, and/or scraping the white painted edge, I decided it was going to be just fine where it was from then on. 

[Mark Stevens]

So I'm going to pick the red one.  Two parts this time.  A) Do you think buy-it-now will be clicked before the auction's end, and B) If it isn't, at what price will this one sell?

That phone has buy-it-now written all over it!  In fact, it's all I can do to keep from clicking that button myself! (only my lack of disposable income is holding me back) This contest will be short-lived, I'm afraid.

Peking Red 302:
Dennis - BIN
Mark - BIN

How about the bingster?  The bingmeister? Bingus-Maximus?!  (I crack myself up)

[bingster]

Whoops, I forgot.   This one isn't going to be much of a contest, because I say BIN, too.  I think it's the nicest one I've ever seen.  If the color hasn't been monkeyed with in Photoshop, it's probably also the reddest I've ever seen.

I'm fighting the urge to click that button, too, Mark.  It's drop-dead gorgeous, but I'd be in the poorhouse for a while if I did.

[Mark Stevens]

If the color hasn't been monkeyed with in Photoshop, it's probably also the reddest I've ever seen.

It's a beauty, for sure.  I wondered about Photoshop as well, but that Pekin Red is definitely a strong, bright color. While we're on the subject, is it Pekin Red or Peking Red? I see both, and while Peking might seem logical, I believe it's Pekin.  Anyone know for certain? 

So, do we want to go with a different phone for the next contest? Perhaps one of the other color 302's? The white one is nice:

[bingster]

Bell System ads say "Pekin."  I've never seen that spelling anywhere besides in those ads, though.  Very strange.
Here's the dark gold one that ended.  I had remembered it ending for less than it actually did.  Nice price for a nice phone.  Slap some new brown cords on that puppy, and it's a done deal.

I'm going to make a prediction on the green and rose phones, and that is that the BIN button will NOT be pressed for either.  I think they're both overpriced where they're at, compared to some recent phones of the same color that have been up.  Although... they do appear to be in really, really good condition, so who knows.

Now... on to the ivory!  I'll say $175 max on that one.  It's nice, but it's the commonest color, and the auction only has one small, dim photo. 

[Mark Stevens]

Here's the dark gold one that ended.  I had remembered it ending for less than it actually did.  Nice price for a nice phone.  Slap some new brown cords on that puppy, and it's a done deal.

I'll brazenly display my ignorance here, but I'm not hep to these gold 302's. They were painted gold by Western Electric? Is there any way to tell if a phone was released with that color?

Now... on to the ivory!  I'll say $175 max on that one.  It's nice, but it's the commonest color, and the auction only has one small, dim photo. 

Our Contest Director has spoken, let the battle begin!
Our auction will be the Ivory 302, which runs out in a little over four days and now sits at $76.

Ivory W.E. 302:
bingster - $175.00
Mark - $325.00

Who else?!

[bingster]

I'll brazenly display my ignorance here, but I'm not hep to these gold 302's. They were painted gold by Western Electric? Is there any way to tell if a phone was released with that color?

Yep, W.E. did them at the factory.  They weren't as "standard" as the colored thermoplastic, and were "special order" whatever that means.  There were four painted metallic colors, and I'm going to try to remember them off the top of my head, now.  I'll ask for silence in the crowd as I attempt this dangerous feat...

Dark gold... Oxidized silver... Statuary bronze... Old brass.

I think that's right.  The colors are definitely correct, the descriptors (oxidized, statuary, etc.) may be off, so don't quote me on those. 

And not to go veering off into left field, but you could also get the "Continental" in the 1950s.  It was made up of refurbished D1 bases, just as the "Imperial" was, except the Continental was factory painted (base and handset) in any of the five standard 302 colors (black excluded).  Let's complicate things a bit further with the "Silver Continental" which  was plated in silver metal, while the Imperial was plated in gold metal.  In fact, there are two Continentals up for auction at the moment... green and red.

[Mark Stevens]

And not to go veering off into left field, but you could also get the "Continental" in the 1950s.  It was made up of refurbished D1 bases, just as the "Imperial" was, except the Continental was factory painted (base and handset) in any of the five standard 302 colors (black excluded).  Let's complicate things a bit further with the "Silver Continental" which  was plated in silver metal, while the Imperial was plated in gold metal.  In fact, there are two Continentals up for auction at the moment... green and red.

Yikes!   It's going to take a while to digest all that, but I appreciate the explanation.  They sound kind of scary as an investment though, as it seems like they could be faked pretty easily. 

[HELLO CENTRAL]

$  450  This isn't my favorite thrift shop is it?

[Dennis Markham]

You're right it is Pekin and I knew that.  I must have been thinking about lunch (Chinese Food).

It is difficult to tell from eBay photos if a phone is a factory paint job or a back yard paint job.  Often the sellers will say that is factory.  In the past year or two I've picked up a couple of the green D1's with F1 handsets, one ivory and one gold plated Continental.  The ivory phone is one of my favorites.  I was lucky and got it with a #4 dial on it and what I believe is the original ivory cloth handset cord.  The dial card was also an original with an exchange of UBly.  I bought the phone off eBay and it came from here in Michigan.  Not far from where it was purchased is a small town of Ubly, so I was pretty excited about that phone.  I think I got it for under $85 which made that a steal---especially with the #4.

With regard to those clips that hold on the finger wheels (the same one is pictured on the ivory 302 above), I learned the hard way.  I bought a couple of 5J dials with those finger wheels and clips.  I logged onto the technical library of the TCI and even read how to remove them.  We I broke one of the clips anyway getting it off.  I asked the TCI and ATCA if anyone had one they'd sell---no luck.  One day on eBay and guy had a bunch of stuff for sale---bunch of parts and pieces.  I could see that clip in the miss.  I bought the whole lot and got my clip.  I won't break another one.  They're few and far between.

I've found in my experience on eBay that people want to bid stuff up---they want to start low and then hope they'll get it cheap but bid it up.  When the phones that start out with a high starting bid or with a high Buy It Now, they almost always don't do as good as the confident seller that knows that he has and lists it for a buck and lets it ride up.  The safe way is to put a reserve with no Buy It Now.  There is the occasional person that doesn't know what they have and puts a low Buy It Now.  Timing is everything in life and if you're lucky enough to log on when something like that is listed a bargain can be had.

That ivory 302..........I'm saying $225.