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Selling an AE40.... better to "clean it up" ?

Started by bones92, August 08, 2011, 12:35:33 PM

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bones92

Greetings,

I found this forum as a matter of researching a few phones I picked up.  I have an ivory AE40 with chromium trim and original braided handset cord.  I bought it from the lady who used it as a teenager in the early 1960's.

I don't have much room for more stuff (I collect old militaria, mainly), and I was going to offer this AE40 for sale.  The phone is in very decent shape, but it has a layer of dirt on the exterior from having sat many years in storage.   I cleaned off one corner with a damp rag, just to see the original ivory color.

I have thought about cleaning up the phone entirely, but I know that I do not know much about these, and I'm more concerned about potentially damaging something.   The dial functions fine, but its a bit slow sometimes to return.  I have read on this forum that the dial springs should be disassembled and cleaned, but I am really hesitant to mess with it as I don't want to damage anything.

In the world of military surplus rifle collecting, it is generally considered inadvisable to "clean up" an old rifle too much.   Removing the grime from the stock often hurts the value of an item.  However, old vintage phones may be a different story.   I doubt anyone wants a dusty, dirty AE40 on their shelf.

So, I appreciate any guidance you gentlemen (and ladies) may offer.  I think this Ivory AE40 is an ideal collectible, as the condition is very nice for its age.  The lady told me the last time it was ever connected it worked just fine.

That brings up another question... is there any trick to reconnecting the phone wire to test it out?  I assume it will still work plugged into my phone outlet (i.e. it should still work on the 48v (?) PSTN wiring in the house, right?)  I have a cord I was going to sacrifice to rewire the phone for testing (as I don't think there is an RJ11 receptacle inside the AE40!)

LarryInMichigan

bones92,

If the phone is really ivory color, and not just painted, and it is in good condition, it is worth a small fortune (ie. hundreds of $$$).  I think that you will likely get much more for it if it looks good, and you provide good pictures of everything, including the insides of the shell and handset.  Stating that it works will certainly not hurt.

Connecting the phone to your phone line is simple.  Your line cord will normally have red and green wires.  Connect one of the wires to the terminal inside the phone marked "L1" and the other to "L2". 

Larry

bones92

Does it matter which line goes to which? 

It is a genuine "Old Ivory" phone.  I looked inside the mouthpiece cover when I read about people painting these.   

The lady told me how her brother rigged her a line long enough to allow her to sit in her closet and chat on the phone at night. 

I have one lousy cellphone photo, but I can take some better photos tonight, if someone's interested.

LarryInMichigan

It does not matter which wire (red or green) goes to which terminal (L1 or L2).  From you picture, the phone looks genuine.  I am sure that you will get much more for it once it's been cleaned and polished.  Were you planning to list it on ebay?

Larry

NorthernMan

You have to clean it enuff so that you can inspect it for any cracks,breaks or chips. If it has any of those you will have an angry customer on delivery . Secondly those phones turn a buttery yellow color over the years and the more of the original ivory that is their the better price you will recieve. So wiping it gently with soap and a damp cloth is what i would do.
Making it work is unadviasable on a collectable phone like that, most collectors would like to do that themselves.
If it has damage to housing expect %75 less than in perfect shape.
Nice $250-$400 phone you have !

bones92

I considered that cleaning and polishing might help, but then, a serious telephone collector might see it and prefer to have it as-is in order to clean it carefully and correctly.    

I'm considering eBay, but that's kind of a last resort.   Long story, but I'm not too keen on some of eBay's policies.  I'd prefer to sell it via collector forum, if possible.

My research tells me the phone might only be a $400-500 item.  I originally thought it might be worth somewhat more, but I doubt it.  

Am I in the right ballpark on my estimate?

bones92

NorthernMan, I thought that might be the case.   Better to let someone with the knowledge and experience clean it up internally. 

But I would think that knowing if it functions or not might be a big selling point.   Won't a serious collector value it differently based on whether it currently works or not?

Dennis Markham

I think it's pretty much a given that it will work when properly connected.  It may not RING because of a frequency ringer (may or may not be inside your phone) but to someone that wants an Ivory AE40, the frequency ringer would be a part of the original condition of the phone and to me at least not have a bearing on the final value.

The AE guys can weigh in as to the value "as is".

~Dennis

NorthernMan

I am not an AE guy but i do have that same phone and i paid $300 about 3 years ago. Prices are comng down IMO and so an Ebay price would be $250 -$400, after fees to PayPal/Ebay of %20 you net about $200-$320 . Sell it privately and be happy with that. I watch those phones all the time on Ebay the ivory ones are the most common among the colored AE40s. Nice phone but its not an orchid colour which would be a $4000 phone. ;D

AE40FAN

I say leave the inside ALONE!  GENTLY Clean the outside with warm soap and water...shine up the chrome with brasso and call it a day.  The ivory on your phone looks to not be very yellowed but, ultimately the only way to tell how discolored it has gotten is to clean off the grime.  Less discoloration= more $$$.  Again, do not tinker with the dial or inside components, let the collector handle that.  Nice Phone, Good luck!

bones92

AE40, you confirm what I suspected.  I did look inside and will take some photos once I clean up the outside.  It is a fascinating device, given that the most technical component is probably the motor that rings the bells.  I would love to hear what it sounds like when a call is received.

I am debating listing it for sale and accepting a common black AE40 in working condition as partial payment.  Seems like a common AE40 in working condition would be worth about $30-40, right?

AE40FAN

Yes, 30 to 40 dollars for an unrefurbed AE40 sounds about right really depends on condition. 

LarryInMichigan

Quote from: AE40FAN on August 09, 2011, 07:13:34 PM
Yes, 30 to 40 dollars for an unrefurbed AE40 sounds about right really depends on condition. 

If you have a plenty of patience, a black AE40 can be bought on ebay for $25 or less.

Larry

AE_Collector

#13
If you want a cleaned (but not "restored"), working and ready to plug in AE40 you are probably talking $60-$80 without chrome and $125 with chrome. ANything lower priced is likely "As Is" which is fine for us phone collectors but I'm hearing you say that you don't want to be involved in trying to make a phone work properly.

I agree with the other comments on here about value. Ivory is the most common of colored AE 40's and $250 to $400 with chrome rather than gold matte trim is a pretty good range for this. If it shines the price is towards $400 and if it needs cleaning and the lack of chips and/or cracks isn't absolutely apparent to the buyer it could be down towards low $200's.

Terry

bones92

I cleaned the exterior with a damp cloth, and that helped a lot.  I did not feel it was wise to try to clean the chrome trim, as (1) I don't want to risk messing it up, and (2) I don't have any brasso handy, anyway.

Overall, it seems to me to be in fairly decent shape, but I admit my opinion is unqualified.  There is what seems to be a small scratch on the front.