Burned Phone for $40

[Gilas]

I was looking on Ebay last week and saw someone that was selling a old wood phone that had gone through a fire, the starting I thing was at $50. I would post the link but she took it down before I could.  The seller only posted a couple pictures that were not that good and I could not tell what transmitter was on the phone or anything else.  While I didn't want the phone as a whole I have also learned from reading everything here that you can find some great spare pieces here and there so I did look at least.  When I started looking in Craiglist I saw the same phone for $40 and saw that the seller was only 20 minutes away.  I emailed them and asked if they would take 35 if I ran up there and they agreed. 

When I got there and saw the phone I didn't even ask if they had change for $40 and just handed them the money and smiled on my way to the car.  While the wood is beyond shot I think that the other pieces will do just fine for me as spare parts 

The receiver is a SC that is in great shape with a beautiful cord.  The cord was just threaded into a hole on the phone so it appeared that it was hooked up.

[Sargeguy]

Is that phone burned or just severely water damaged?  Either way The phone is only worth it for parts, as you said.  The good news is that the Western Electric 7-digit transmitter and cup is worth about $150-200!!!

[Phonesrfun]

Score!

[Dan/Panther]

Those parts obviously were not on the phone at the time of the fire. Maybe they were trying to make a phone that looked burnt, and overdid it, and just decide to dump it. Either way the parts sre valuable, is anything inside. If the 5 bar magneto is in there it's worth more then the price you paid.
D/P

[Gilas]

She said that they added the exterior parts afterwards.  The interior is all there and you can tell it got some smoke damage.  I haven't had time to do anything to it at all inside to see if it's just a matter of cleaning or what.  Start my days off tomorrow so hoping to get some time.  I will post some pics of what I find to see if anyone can use anything I find.

Mike

[HarrySmith]

Why add nice shiny parts to a burned out box

[Sargeguy]

That explains it.  The transmitter and arm look earlier than you'd expect on a 317, unless possibly a really  early 317, which this one is not.  They are more likely from a fiddleback or 2-boxer.

[Dan/Panther]

Sargeguy;
I have a 317E, but it has the arched top, were other models also 317's ?
D/P

[Sargeguy]

There were a few types of the 317/1317, your "Cathedral top"/"picture frame front" is the earliest, followed by the flat top/"picture frame" followed by the flat top/flat front type.  There are different variations in the styles, but they become decreasingly ornate as time passes.  Notice your door locks are on the opposite side than the ones on the burnt phone.

Here are a couple of links:

http://www.bobsoldphones.net/Pages/WE317/WE317.htm

http://www.antiquetelephonehistory.com/we317.html