Pair of AE 1As on Ebay

[LarryInMichigan]

ebay link

These were listed last week with a BIN of $50, so I bought them.  They arrived today, and I am quite disappointed.  They are beyond filthy, and the shells, which are metal, are quite corroded and will most probably need to be stripped, sanded, and repainted to look presentable.  The chrome plated finger wheel will need to be sanded and painted because the chrome is beyond hope.  I haven't yet tried to assess the salvageability of the dials which barely turn.

The description in the listing said that they were in good condition, except for the cords, and I had expected that they were bakelite like my good 1A, but just very dirty.  I am seriously doubtful that this pair is worth the $70 it cost me.

As an added bonus, the phones were packed with the handsets sitting loosely in the cradles, though I explicitly asked that they be separately wrapped and padded.

I guess that you win some and lose some.

I have contacted the seller expressing my disappointment.


Larry

[canuckphoneguy]

I hope you also gave the seller a poor rating in the feedback. $70 is a lot of money to not get what was advertised!

[LarryInMichigan]

I haven't left any feedback yet.  The seller offered me a refund of the $20 shipping charge, and I am trying to decide what to do.  It looks like the older style handset is in decent condition, and that is worth something.  I still need to look more at the stuff to try to assess the situation.

Larry

[AE_Collector]

The newer handset (type 41) with chrome rings isn't correct for the phone BUT, if the chrome rings were good (looks suspect in the picture) the handset is worth $40. The older (type 38) handset is worth that as is if it cleans up. I would take both finger wheels and all the metal off of both handsets and send to Dencins to chrome it all for you. And hey, if the body is really metal (are you certain, quite unusual if it is) get it chromed too! Then you and Doug Rose can see who has the shineyest phone!

Terry

[LarryInMichigan]

The chromed bands on the type 41 handset are not great, but they are in better condition that I expected after I removed layers of filth from them.  The type 38 handset is in fair-good condition, though I haven't yet tested the elements.

The dial with the chromed finger wheel is a type 24 and should be fine after alot of cleaning.  I sanded most of the rough corrosion off of the finger wheel, and the chrome looks almost decent if I don't look closely (or buy new eyeglasses).

The other dial is newer and has a cracked pulsing cam which I hope to be able to glue back to health.

Both shells are some sort of metal, but not steel.  I didn't think that these models had been made of metal.  I have a similar non-dial American Electric base which is metal, but my 1A is bakelite.  The finish on both of these phones is pretty bad, so they will need repainting to look decent.  I think that the chrome plating is a bit out of the budget for now.

I think that I will accept the seller's $20 refund offer.


Larry

[AE_Collector]

So not just the cradles are pot metal. The entire shell is metal? Possibly brass or bronze then like some of the candlesticks were.

Terry

[LarryInMichigan]

Yes, the entire shell is metal.  I do not know what type of metal, but a magnet does not stick to it.  The only AE candlestick I have is a step-base type, and it is entirely steel.

I will probably be interested in selling one or both of these shells because I really do not have any interest in stripping and repainting them.  What do you think that they are worth without the handsets or dials?

Larry