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1950s Wooden Booth and Rotary Payphone

Started by War Horse, March 09, 2017, 05:11:23 PM

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War Horse

Hi all. A friend of mine contacted me and said he knows a guy sellling a 1950s wooden phone booth that's in pretty good shape and even has the rotary pay phone still in it. He sent me some pics and it seems legit and in pretty good shape. What should I offer him for it?

Doug Rose

I would ask the seller how much he wants for it. You might be pleasantly surprised or at least get a starting point for an offer....Doug
Kidphone

AE_Collector

#2
Like switchboards, shipping is always an obstacle to selling booths but if you are able to pick it up easily and have room for it, these should be worth a fair bit. I don't know much about them but would venture a guess (just to get more discussion about the value) that with the AE 3 slot $500 would be a great price and $1000 reasonable.

I agree, see if you can get a "I was hoping for" price from the owner in case it is $250.

What do the others think?

Terry

Dan/Panther

If it's local, I would say $400.00. The phone booth itself is going for $750 to $1000, and the phone is worth $200.00.

D/P

The More People I meet, The More I Love, and MISS My Dog.  Dan Robinson

Jim Stettler

Quote from: Dan/Panther on March 09, 2017, 06:57:07 PM
If it's local, I would say $400.00. The phone booth itself is going for $750 to $1000, and the phone is worth $200.00.

D/P
I agree with Dan. You are the market. Show up with cash and a truck.
JMO,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

rdelius

Bell booth with AE paystation?.The paystation has one of Phonecos cards on it so who knows what is inside

Jim Stettler

My buy value is $350 on booth, $50.00 on phone.
JMO,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

AL_as_needed

Quote from: Jim S. on March 09, 2017, 08:03:13 PM
My buy value is $350 on booth, $50.00 on phone.
JMO,
Jim S.

Is that the "make the offer to the wife" price? ;D
TWinbrook7

.....

War Horse

Telephone booths are a great piece of telephone history. They are the prefect telephone collector's piece. That is if you have the extra amount space to keep it. If not, it becomes a real pain in the butt. I have two, a wooden outdoor and a metal outdoor booth. The metal has become my pain. I bought it cheap and had to drive a few hours each way to get. It came with a Bell sign and a Centurion phone which were bonuses. I saved it from going to scrapyard. I thought what a great piece to have for the grandkids. They lost interest after a while. It's not a video game. It now sits behind the house on a skid waiting for a new owner and being used for storage keeping things out of the weather. My wooden one is in the garage and I work on it from time to time. Mostly, in the warmer weather. It needs a full restoration. I bought it to save it as well, from the burn pile. I really enjoy having that one, it's a keeper. Don't go overboard on the price. These are hard sellers, big and bulky. As nice as they are, you need the space to keep them. If you really must have it, go as low as you can. If it's not the price you are willing to live with walk away. Believe it or not these booths are a commitment. To own one is saving history, they are disappearing at a fast pace. But they can become a pain also. Think long and hard before you dive in. Just my 2 cents.

Jim Stettler

Quote from: AL_as_needed on March 09, 2017, 09:29:49 PM
Is that the "make the offer to the wife" price? ;D
No, Offer to haul it away for free when you talk to the wife.
JMO,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

War Horse

Thanks for the awesome advise guys.  I took the approach a couple of you mentioned.  He's less than an hour away, so I told him I'd be able to pick it up in my truck and I'll have cash in hand.  I just asked what price was he looking for.  Based on the comments here, I'd be comfortable with getting around the $1,000 range.

Autonut, I totally get what you're saying.  I've always wanted a wooden phone booth, but yea, space is an issue.  Same deal with the kids too, they'd love it for a little bit, but even if I wired it up to make calls, it'd get old and they'd never touch it again.  I'd really just be getting it for me to be honest.  While the girlfriend loves old antiques and enjoys my obsession with telephone stuff and my old car, I've got a feeling the phone booth might push it. There's a couple of spaces in the house, but I don't think she would buy off on it. So, like yours, it would end up in the garage with the car.  While that's not a bad thing, and I'll love having it, it's not exactly a center piece to the house.   

Anyway, we'll see what the seller comes back with.

.....

Well if you do purchase it, I would be interested in that beige subset cover. I would buy it or trade it for a black one. I have a beige pay phone that could use one. :)

Payphone installer

I pay 250 for a booth of this era which is the last booth made,there are a lot of them in the world they are not rare. A/E pay phone is 65.00 remember the booth is taller when you tip it on edge so make sure you add the height when you measure the ceiling. Also duct tap the door open when you move it so you don't smash your fingers in the door. Booth is lighter with the sides removed.

War Horse

Well, looks like I won't have to worry about where to put it. The guy wants $2,000 for it!  Oh hell no. My girlfriend is cool about a lot of things, but she would straight up kill me spending that much. 😳

HarrySmith

Try again in a few months. The price will go down.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"