Oxford Gray 554 At Chicago Estate Sale - But You Can't Buy It

[zenithchromacolor]

I'm not sure if it counts as a "find" if I see a rare phone at a sale but can't buy it.

I was at an estate sale today in Norridge, IL (a northwest suburb of Chicago). I saw an Oxford Gray soft plastic 554 on the wall in the garage. I started looking at it and was soon being yelled at by an estate sale worker that they could not sell the phone because it was "part of the house".

http://www.estatesales.net/estate-sales/IL/Harwood-Heights/60706/609654


I have purchased most of my phone collection, which is mostly colored sets from the 1950s onward, at estate sales. Many times I have asked if I could buy a phone on the wall and I am usually told yes. Sometimes they are happy I want to buy it because I am the only one there who knows how to remove a hardwired phone from the wall.

This is the third time I can remember where I have been told the phone is "part of the house", the others were a 10-button beige Princess and a red 2554.

The depressing part is that whoever buys the house is likely to throw out the rare phone and replace it with something modern from China.


-- Max

[twocvbloke]

You could always leave a note in the mailbox or something for the new owner asking if you could purchase "that old phone in the garage" leaving your name, number and/or email address, as you say they'd probably not care what happens to it, and it's better it was saved rather than binned...

[WesternElectricBen]

twocv has a good point, you should leave a note, I've done that before.

Although, leave the note on the phone so the owners can be more sure, and it's an offence to put something in a mailbox w/ out paying postage. (Thoufh , I'm sure you know that)

Ben

[Dennis Markham]

That's the one color of 554 that has eluded me.  I did remove a hard-wired 500 from a home at an estate sale once.  They were happy I came along to help out.  It was just an early Black model though.  Nothing as extravagant as the Oxford Gray.

[TelePlay]

I saw an Oxford Gray soft plastic 554 on the wall in the garage. I started looking at it and was soon being yelled at by an estate sale worker that they could not sell the phone because it was "part of the house".

All depends on what the owner of the house's executor said in the contract they drew up with the estate people. The estate people may be authorized to only sell the "loose" items and not realize the phone may really be a "loose" item, or personal property. Items become real property when they are attached to the real property, the house/garage in a way that would show something was removed if it were taken off the wall. If the phone is attached by screws, only the screws are part of the house unless when the phone is removed, the paint behind it, or the color of the wood is different and then the phone is part of the house (I assume loosen the screws and lift the phone up and away from the wall would do it - in it has a back plate, then the back plate may be real property and the phone is just personal property). The general rule in real estate of personal versus real property is an item is part of the real property if when removed, one can see that something was there. A picture is personal property but not the nail it was hanging on. Drapes are personal property but not the curtain rods attaching the rods to the wall. The hot tub sitting on a deck is personal property but a hot tub sitting in a hole in the deck (deck built around it) is part of the real property. A hard wired line cord and the phone attached to it on the other end can be removed but the wall fixture from which it was removed is real property and must stay as installed.

I sold real estate for more than 10 years and am well aware of this issue and what it can cost a realtor if a real item goes missing (realtors have been known to buy a new hot tub, among other things, for the new owner). The real versus personal property may be a bit different from state to state but in general, that is the difference.

I'd talk to the executor of the estate and ask them if they really want the phone and if so, that you would be willing to swap it out with a nice, shiny brand spanking newer touch tone phone at no charge. That would be better than learning the executor, after the estate sale, saw the phone was still hanging there, ripped it off the wall and threw it in the bin (trash).

[Jim Stettler]

I  started offering to buy wall phones with a "replacement" phone and jack  included. I pull the phone, replace it and pay some cash.  I only got 1 yes. It was a 1554 that I pulled, added a mod wall jack and replaced with a "modern"  modular 2554  ($10.00 + parts).
This was after the estate company told me that they got scolded for selling me a red 2554 "off the wall" at the last sale. I suspect I can talk them into letting me do it again next time I find a good phone.

Jim

[zenithchromacolor]

All depends on what the owner of the house's executor said in the contract they drew up with the estate people. The estate people may be authorized to only sell the "loose" items and not realize the phone may really be a "loose" item, or personal property. Items become real property when they are attached to the real property, the house/garage in a way that would show something was removed if it were taken off the wall. If the phone is attached by screws, only the screws are part of the house unless when the phone is removed, the paint behind it, or the color of the wood is different and then the phone is part of the house (I assume loosen the screws and lift the phone up and away from the wall would do it - in it has a back plate, then the back plate may be real property and the phone is just personal property). The general rule in real estate of personal versus real property is an item is part of the real property if when removed, one can see that something was there. A picture is personal property but not the nail it was hanging on. Drapes are personal property but not the curtain rods attaching the rods to the wall. The hot tub sitting on a deck is personal property but a hot tub sitting in a hole in the deck (deck built around it) is part of the real property. A hard wired line cord and the phone attached to it on the other end can be removed but the wall fixture from which it was removed is real property and must stay as installed.

I sold real estate for more than 10 years and am well aware of this issue and what it can cost a realtor if a real item goes missing (realtors have been known to buy a new hot tub, among other things, for the new owner). The real versus personal property may be a bit different from state to state but in general, that is the difference.

I'd talk to the executor of the estate and ask them if they really want the phone and if so, that you would be willing to swap it out with a nice, shiny brand spanking newer touch tone phone at no charge. That would be better than learning the executor, after the estate sale, saw the phone was still hanging there, ripped it off the wall and threw it in the bin (trash).

Thank you for such a through explanation. I should print this out and take it with me to estate sales. I had considered offering to buy a replacement phone and installing it, but they didn't seem like they wanted to deal with it at all. I get the impression that this company got in big trouble once for selling something that was supposed to go with the house, because most other companies I've bought phones from don't seem to care if I take something off the wall.

I've actually found some interesting phones installed in garages at estate sales including an Ivory 354 and a 10-button Princess. The garage phones tend to be very dirty (the 354 was installed behind a buffing wheel and was covered inside and out with fine powered dust from the buffing compound) but often are nice looking once you clean them up because they didn't get as much use as a phone in the house would.

[TelePlay]

Thank you for such a through explanation. I should print this out and take it with me to estate sales.

Instead of using my short, general explanation of may or may not be personal or real property which is neither advice or guidance, I would suggest you contact a Realtor in your area, licensed for that area, and ask them the difference between real and personal property in that area. Then contact another Realtor with the same questions to see if you get the same answers. I sold real estate in a different state but let my license go over 10 years ago. Laws change monthly and states have their own set of real estate laws. Real versus personal property is an important and confusing issue and depending on what the laws are in the state or district in which the house sits, they can be similar but different. I am not an attorney or a licensed real estate agent in any state, including Illinois, and from what I can remember, Realtors in Illinois can only sell in certain areas, not the whole state as was the case in my state. I may be wrong on that. I would not suggest printing out what I wrote and taking it as gospel to a sale. It was intended as anecdotal experience from some time ago. It is neither legal advice nor appropriate to Illinois real estate laws and practices. Each case is different and the fine line between real property and personal property can only be best defined for you for that area by a licensed Realtor in that area, or an attorney practicing in that area. If the house is listed for sale, contact the real estate agent handling the property. If there is an offer in on the property, the offer may and can include personal property as part of the sale, another issue to be aware of at all times. I was merely pointing out the gross differences between what I once understood as the difference between real and personal property when a property was listed for sale, contracts written and sold. You are in an area dealing with several legal issues so the best thing you can do is get the correct legal interpretation of the issue from someone who both knows the laws in that area, who is licensed and can guide you on the difference. An attorney can even provide advice on what to do but they charge for that; Realtors play an informative role only.

[paul-f]

Welcome to the forum, Max.

When you get a chance, let us know a bit about your phone interests and anything else you care to share.  We have a place for introductions:
  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=49.0

We'd love to see photos of your collection.

Your username caught my attention and reminded me of a phone with a Zenith logo on the handset that I've been wondering about for years.  Perhaps you are familiar with it:
  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11680.0

[jsowers]

My first TV was a Zenith Chromacolor II 19" table model from about 1973 or 74. I used to call it a TV only a serviceman would own because it kept acting up and I kept fixing it. I finally just left the back off of it to facilitate the repairs. I used it a long time until I finally got a remote control TV. It had modules you could replace all over the chassis instead of individual components and those connections to the boards were part of the problem. I think it came from a smoker's house originally and it had lots of bad connections. Even the transistors would come loose. I finally soldered those in. Also I looked up the date stamped on the back and it was made on Friday the 13th.     I still have it and I love working on those TVs, but haven't in a long time.

That dark gray 554--good luck getting it. I think you should show up with another phone and casually offer to replace it with a newer model for $50 and see if they let you.

[zenithchromacolor]

Welcome to the forum, Max.

When you get a chance, let us know a bit about your phone interests and anything else you care to share.  We have a place for introductions:
  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=49.0

We'd love to see photos of your collection.

Your username caught my attention and reminded me of a phone with a Zenith logo on the handset that I've been wondering about for years.  Perhaps you are familiar with it:
  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=11680.0

Thank you for the welcome. I have learned a lot about the different Western Electric telephone models from your great website. I am quite busy right now moving to a new house, but I will try to post some more in the future.