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Jim H, is this one yours?

Started by Jester, June 08, 2010, 07:28:34 PM

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Jester

While doing my usual looking on ebay last night, I ran across this auction & immediately thought of Jim's nice example.
http://tinyurl.com/2cgs9lc ( dead link 09-14-21 )
Stephen

LarryInMichigan

I just looked up JimH's profile, and I see that he is in Madison Heights which is about five miles east of here.  Pontiac is a number of miles in the other direction.  There are at least six forum members in Detroit area.

Larry

JimH

Great memory, Stephen.  That one is mine.  I've since moved from Madison Heights, and I hadn't changed my profile yet.  I already have a Mahogany set, and since I haven't been working, I thought I should sell it.  I know one went recently for $405 with a curly handset cord and no original line cord.  I figured these original cords should be worth at least an extra $70!  Plus this is from 1954...which I think was the first year for the full-color Brown set.
Jim H.

Doug Rose

The $405 Mahogany Brown 500 was mine. It went much higher than I expected....good luck....Doug
Kidphone

Jester

Quote from: JimH on June 09, 2010, 09:49:05 AM
  I know one went recently for $405 with a curly handset cord and no original line cord.  I figured these original cords should be worth at least an extra $70!  Plus this is from 1954...which I think was the first year for the full-color Brown set.

I would have to agree with you--those cords along with the color & dates make your phone a very distinctive offering.  I wish I were in the position to pull the trigger.  Here's hoping someone wants it more than you--it's a good deal!
Stephen

Jim Stettler

Any WE brown 500 with matching cords is a good find. a straight  500 handset is almost impossible to find. I think the price is fair, the phone is in nice condition, and I suspect it will sell. I can't afford it at this time, but it made me salivate.
JMO,
Jim
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

JorgeAmely

Quote from: Jim S. on June 10, 2010, 02:46:47 AM
Any WE brown 500 with matching cords is a good find. a straight  500 handset is almost impossible to find.

What would you trade for one Jim?
Jorge

Jester

Jim,
I see you made a deal and sold it--that's still a good price!  Congratulations!!!  Is the buyer a forum member?
Stephen

JimH

I didn't sell it....I decided it was worth more to me than the $399 I'd lowered the price to....especially after it would cost $30 to pay ebay, I'd only net $369.  I would trade it for.....an Oxford Gray...the only color soft plastic I don't have.  I was planning on selling my "doubles".  But that was my only "straight cord" Mahogany Brown.  I have a Dark blue "double" also.  Got me thinking about whether a "restored" phone is worth more than an "as is" phone.  I guess I'd mistakenly thought someone would want to get the joy of restoring an unmolested phone right out of an estate sale.  But I guess we'd all like to get those cheap and have the thrill of getting to see it shine and know it's worth big bucks!  Selling these is like selling one of my kids....it's very hard!  I can't tell you how many I've picked up thinking "hey...I can get this cheap and clean it up and sell it for hundreds of dollars"....problem is....when you get it, and see it all cleaned up...you don't want to get rid of it!
Jim H.

JorgeAmely

Quote from: JimH on June 10, 2010, 01:09:08 PM
....problem is....when you get it, and see it all cleaned up...you don't want to get rid of it!

I agree with you 100%, Jim.
Jorge

HarrySmith

Me too! If I had a choice between a highly polished nicely restored phone and the same phone in as is used condition for free but could only have one I would choose the unrestored one. There is nothing like taking a nasty looking unuseable phone and spending a few hours to end up with a fifty year old phone that looks and works like new! The first 500 I did, the Pink one, was a $5.00 parts phone that I spent two weeks wetsanding and learning a lot on now it is the centerpiece of my "hard" 500 collection.
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

JimH

I agree, Harry.  What fun would it be to take a pristine telephone out of a box, put it on a shelf, and just look at it?  Restoring each phone gets you "hands on", like you know it inside and out.  Seeing how far you can take each one to shine, and having those great "before and after" pictures, is something I think I enjoy most of the collecting experience.
Jim H.

paul-f

Working on phones really causes problems, though.  Every time I work on a duplicate with the intent of selling it, we bond and I have a tough time getting rid of it. 

That's how I got into collecting variations.  I keep looking for minor differences with each set to justify keeping it in the collection.
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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HarrySmith

I have not gotten to justification yet, at what stage does this occur?
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

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

paul-f

Thinking back, it's tough to remember.

I know that at one point I designed my display area to show off the following WE sets -- all I thought I'd ever need:

1 20-style upright desk stand
1 50-style dial upright desk stand
1 B mounting with E handset
1 C mounting with E handset
1 D mounting with E handset
1 D mounting with F handset
1 302 with F handset
1 5302 with F handset
1 5302 with GF handset
1 500D with metal fingerwheel
1 500D with plastic fingerwheel
---------
11 phones

It took a while to get them all...and then everything went blank!  Now I have "a few more."
Visit: paul-f.com         WE  500  Design_Line

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