Classic Rotary Phones Forum

Telephone Talk => ebaY Quirks, Complaints and Chatter => Auction Talk => Insanity! or Genius? => Topic started by: Doug Rose on January 11, 2016, 07:55:46 PM

Title: Insanity
Post by: Doug Rose on January 11, 2016, 07:55:46 PM
Your thoughts?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/181981557596?
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: WEBellSystemChristian on January 11, 2016, 08:04:29 PM
It's...well.....uhh.....

Uhh, yeah; insanity.  :o

It sure is a beautiful phone, but I guess it would realistically be worth about $250 tops.

I have two Green 500s with Gray cords (granted, neither is as early or has a straight cord), but I paid about $50 total for both of them, in the same night! I'd say that color is the most often found with Gray cords, so it's absolutely NOT worth that price!
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Buzby on January 11, 2016, 08:22:06 PM
I saw that while it was still active, and wondered what the deal was with it.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Ktownphoneco on January 11, 2016, 08:25:17 PM
I with Christian on this one.      I'm sure the seller is still doing a "jig" on kitchen floor, but whatever possessed a buyer to pay that kind of money for that set, is beyond me.      Plus, in reality, there was another potential buyer who bid the thing up to $888.88, only to be outbid by the ultimate winner.     I think I have a black Western 500 around here, and a can of green spray paint.   

Jeff
 
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Buzby on January 11, 2016, 08:38:00 PM
Just wondering....I think the seller said they were a collector. Are they a member here?
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: HarrySmith on January 11, 2016, 08:39:25 PM
Yeah, that is insane! But, that's eBay, 2 guys want the same thing and don't stop bidding until they get it. Let's see if it gets relisted after the seller does not get paid! I'm sure a bunch will pop up now with totally absurd BIN.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: HarrySmith on January 11, 2016, 08:40:47 PM
Quote from: Buzby on January 11, 2016, 08:38:00 PM
Just wondering....I think the seller said they were a collector. Are they a member here?

I don't think he is a member here but he is on the lists.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: LarryInMichigan on January 11, 2016, 09:40:43 PM
That price is certainly crazy.  The "e**e" buyer looks familiar to me, but I do not remember who he is.  I believe that the seller is located about 6 miles from me, but I do not know him.


Larry
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: JimHyak on January 11, 2016, 10:45:20 PM
The seller has/had a number of WE500s for sale including a straight brown cord mahogany and an Oxford gray, both brought big bucks.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Babybearjs on January 12, 2016, 02:10:23 AM
just plain stupid if you ask me.... these people don't do any pricing research, don't look at any phone related websites and think they have gold in their hands.... thanks to cell phones, these units are dropping in price and if you look at the manufacturing numbers...... are too many to count.... My AE 50 is only worth $200.00, if even that.... and they want that for a 500......just stupid....
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Doug Rose on January 12, 2016, 07:48:01 AM
I guess it's time to put mine on eBay. I am not looking for the big kill, half would be fine. " Serious Bidders Only." I do love when auctions carry this tag....Doug
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: RotarDad on January 12, 2016, 10:29:40 AM
I do agree that the price seems very high, but that is about the nicest early Moss Green 500 I've seen.  It looks like if might be close to NOS condition.  The combination of gray straight cord, early '54 date and super nice condition do warrant a higher price.  The straight cord M-Brown this seller had went very high as well, again due (imho) to the cord and the condition.  You see many more M-Blue 500s on Ebay than either of these (with straight cord), so there aren't many opportunities to bid on one. Like Harry said, if two collectors really want something.......
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: 19and41 on January 12, 2016, 02:02:56 PM
Mighty interesting.  I had never seen a 500 with a straight handset cord.  At prices like that, these screenshots will be my only opportunity.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: HarrySmith on January 12, 2016, 06:27:31 PM
A club member posted on the lists that he will be bringing his early green 500 with straight gray cord to the Maitland Florida show at the end of the month. Could be your chance to get one for well under $1,000.00!
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: unbeldi on January 12, 2016, 09:02:15 PM
Quote from: 19and41 on January 12, 2016, 02:02:56 PM
Mighty interesting.  I had never seen a 500 with a straight handset cord.  At prices like that, these screenshots will be my only opportunity.
I'll give you one for free, lol.   (a screenshot)


WECo 500D-57  November 1955

I don't think I ever posted it anywhere.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Phonesrfun on January 12, 2016, 09:13:38 PM
Quote from: 19and41 on January 12, 2016, 02:02:56 PM
Mighty interesting.  I had never seen a 500 with a straight handset cord.  At prices like that, these screenshots will be my only opportunity.

I see them in movies and TV shows like "The Twilight Zone" every once in a while. Growing up in the '50's and '60's I probably saw many of them, but I certainly don't remember one specifically.  So, for now, movies is as close as I will come to seeing one.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: 19and41 on January 12, 2016, 09:53:18 PM
Mighty attractive.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: andre_janew on January 13, 2016, 04:39:46 PM
I've had two 500s with straight handset cords.  The first was a 1953 manual one with a 95A dial blank that I had when I was a kid.  The second is the 1954 one with the rotary dial that I have now.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: LarryInMichigan on January 13, 2016, 05:31:31 PM
My soft plastic ivory 500 with straight handset cord sold for $454, about half of what this green one got.  I feel cheated.


Larry
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: RotarDad on January 13, 2016, 11:39:33 PM
Thanks Unbeldi for posting that M-blue straight cord 500 - that's a beauty.  I would love to know what that would bring in today's market, probably a lot more than than the $4-500 the coil cord versions bring.  Larry your -50 is another example of the "straight-cord premium", and Ivory is not a rare or expensive color with coil cord.  Interesting stuff....
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Jim Stettler on January 14, 2016, 01:36:28 PM
There were some early 500 sets that had color matching straight cords,  They don't show up very often. I suspect the colored straight cords would bring a highr premium than than straight grey cords.
Jim S.



ISTR that Vern P. has an early yellow 500 with matching straight cords. I think he has a few of the straight cord sets.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: poplar1 on January 14, 2016, 01:41:55 PM
Ivory, brown and gray always had matching cords.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: jsowers on January 14, 2016, 03:44:36 PM
Here's my collection of straight corded phones. Anyone want to estimate what they're worth now? They were bought in the days before $900 insanity bidding. I couldn't afford to buy them today.

The red and the yellow ones with matching handset cords are perhaps the rarest, aren't they Dennis? Dennis and I like the same phones and we bid against each other on the yellow one and something happened and he didn't get it. I know exactly how that is because it happened to me too, but on a light gray 554. We all have "the one that got away."

In 1956 they changed to color-matching handset cords on all except green and dark blue. Then in 1957 they changed to coil cords being standard. That makes the color matching straight cords fairly rare since they were only offered one year or so.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Jim Stettler on January 14, 2016, 04:38:30 PM
Quote from: jsowers on January 14, 2016, 03:44:36 PM
Here's my collection of straight corded phones. Anyone want to estimate what they're worth now?

I haven't followed early colored 500 value for years. What seems to be the going prices for the early sets w/grey or colored coil cords?
Thanks,
Jim
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: poplar1 on January 14, 2016, 06:29:55 PM
Quote from: jsowers on January 14, 2016, 03:44:36 PM
In 1956 they changed to color-matching handset cords on all except green and dark blue. Then in 1957 they changed to coil cords being standard. That makes the color matching straight cords fairly rare since they were only offered one year or so.

So would you agree then that straight handset cords (H4BG) were standard as follows?

Set Color:     Matching H4BG:
Ivory            1954-1956
Green           N/A
Gray             1954-1956
Red              1956
Brown          1954-1956
(Dark)Beige  1956
Yellow          1956
(Dark) Blue   N/A
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Jim Stettler on January 14, 2016, 07:38:47 PM
Here is a related thread from 2009.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1886.msg25064#lastPost
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: Dennis Markham on January 14, 2016, 08:41:19 PM
Very nice collection of 500's, Jonathan.  I do remember that Yellow one as the one that got away.  That was early in my eBay experience, before I knew of sniper programs.  I waited until the last second to push the "confirm" button.  My browser kind of froze up and when it cleared the auction was over.....my bid didn't register and the phone moved to North Carolina.  It's a beauty and couldn't have gone to a better home.

To move back on topic, based upon the sale price of the recent Green 500 with straight gray cord, the Yellow with matching straight cord could be worth thousands!

~Dennis
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: jsowers on January 14, 2016, 08:48:53 PM
Quote from: poplar1 on January 14, 2016, 06:29:55 PM
So would you agree then that straight handset cords (H4BG) were standard as follows?

Set Color:     Matching H4BG:
Ivory            1954-1956
Green           N/A
Gray             1954-1956
Red              1956
Brown          1954-1956
(Dark)Beige  1956
Yellow          1956
(Dark) Blue   N/A

Yes, Dave, that looks right to me. I've only seen one dark beige straight handset cord and it was super long and not on a matching phone. I think Jester got it somewhere as a mounting cord. So I guess that dark beige with straight dark beige handset cord combination exists in the wild, but I haven't seen one in the 17 or so years I've looked at phones on eBay and others would probably say the same. The cords went to color in stages too, with red being first, for whatever reason. I've noticed red matched a bit earlier than the rest of the colors, maybe at the end of 1955.

To complete the picture, red, dark beige and yellow had dark gray cords in 1954-55. And all these years are approximations since we don't know the exact month things changed. Thanks for coming up with that list.
Title: Re: Insanity
Post by: trainman on January 21, 2016, 03:07:50 PM
Keep in mind Mid Century Modern decor is hot right now. I think what we have are phones with the right colors will sell. Pink, turquoise, aqua, green, and yellow will probably fetch more than white, beige, brown, etc.