Wow! NOS Blue cloth coiled cord went for $493.88 on Ebay!

[TelePlay]

Maybe a little of both, but check out the white wire, the insulation is gone and it looks like it is a prime candidate for static. $500 for a handset cord....oh my...Doug

Doug, isn't this a common on a lot of similar wires in older phones? I've opened up many a 302 with non-cloth line and handset cords that have the same or similar rubber insulation crumbling off the wires, just by looking at them much less moving them, which haven't been flexed since the day they were installed. The rubber material, or whatever they used to coat the metal wire, seems to harden and crack and disintegrate all by itself over time. Is that a true statement?

[Doug Rose]

John...it is common for this to happend on the rubber coated insulation. Just from bending old wires this can happen. I have had NOS cords that I could not use as the insulation crumbled when I tried to install them.  I noticed it right away when I saw the auction and had a fellow member message me about  the auction. He was going to bid and I told him my concerns.

If I spend $500 for a NOS cord (which I would not!) to finish off a Blue 302, I might be a tad peeved if it was all staticy. Then again, I wouldn't be using it anyway.

This was just an amazing auction to watch and it shows collectors will spend for hard to find items....Doug