Cleaning out grandparent's attic....

[Jim Stettler]

Tim --

You have really found a gold mine in your grandparents' attic.

The three slot panel coin phone is exceptionally rare!  I know of only one other in existence.  If you insure your collection, you should value this one at $3,000-$4,000 or more.

Russ,
  I knew these were hard to find. I thought around $1,000 inc shipping, Hard.

After your reply I checked on the telephone lisstservers. This is a reply:

Impossible to find the W/E, it took me years, I have a rotary and have only
seen one other. I have never seen a 10 button Touch Tone beyond the
picture in  the BSP. The W/E panel phone is completely unique, I believe that the
reason  they are so hard to come by is because many were upgraded to the
single slot by  changing the door and other things.  The A/E were not a true
panel phone  they just had a standard 3 slot inside. I have been told by the
old timers that  the W/E panel phones sometimes had light kits in the
instruction cards ,I did  not believe this until I found a BSP that shows lighted
instruction cards in  early Charge-A-Call sets in the same time frame. Even
the single slot rotary  panel phones are tough to get I did mange to get a
few of them in the box. One  in 50 payphones was a panel phone they are much
rarer across the  board. There is almost as much to learn about single slot
W/E payphone and  panel phone as there is to learn about W/E 3 slots,they are
very collectable and  old models are vanishing fast.

Tim,
I am still interested, but I don't think I can afford it.
If you want to sell it I could put a posting for "best offers" on the listservers for you.

Great phone,
Jim

[Jim Stettler]

In retrospect, If you decide to sell put it on Ebay, and I will will advise the listservers of the auction.
Jim

[Tim]

Jim,

Thanks for the further information and offers/interest. 

The panel payphone is something that is going to be held onto.  I just thought I would share it (along with the other phones in the same post) because they are pieces that have been displayed at my grandparents house for years and I thought they'd be of interest to everyone on here.

If things ever should change, I'll be sure to let you know.

[wecoguy]

Hi Jim --

Albeit of AE manufacture, this 3 slot panel phone is exceptionally rare.  WECo 50Gs and others of that type (separate receiver and transmitter) are rare, but available from time to time and go for $1200-$1500 dollars.  It was and is my opinion that Tim's AE would be valued at a multiple of 2 or 3 above one of those.  As your responder stated the WECo 3 slot panel is virtually nonexistent.  The one he has is the one I was aware of and he cites the existence of one more.  His comment about the "innards" of the AE may have some impact on its value.  However, it is the only one which has surfaced at this point and therefore must be considered unique.

JMO,

Russ

[Jim Stettler]

Hi Jim --

Albeit of AE manufacture, this 3 slot panel phone is exceptionally rare.  WECo 50Gs and others of that type (separate receiver and transmitter) are rare, but available from time to time and go for $1200-$1500 dollars.  It was and is my opinion that Tim's AE would be valued at a multiple of 2 or 3 above one of those.  As your responder stated the WECo 3 slot panel is virtually nonexistent.  The one he has is the one I was aware of and he cites the existence of one more.  His comment about the "innards" of the AE may have some impact on its value.  However, it is the only one which has surfaced at this point and therefore must be considered unique.

JMO,

Russ,

Russ,
I did hear of a WE 3 slot panel selling at a show 5-6 years ago for $1,250. The biggest comment regarding it, was that no one had ever seen one offered at a show before.
This could be the same phone as the above posting.

For myself, I don't care if I eventually find an AE or WE 3 slot panel (I would prefer WE). When I find one I plan on installing it in a panel phone boothette.

I don't really collect payphones, but  I do have 13 of them . I
Jim

[JorgeAmely]

Jim:

You really need to get one more and go beyond 13. 

[Jim Stettler]

Jim:

You really need to get one more and go beyond 13. 

But 13 is my Lucky Number. D/P joined the forum on my 47th Birthday.

I also have a Gray Paystation  WU telegram set (for those "Telephone your Telegram from here " signs).
However it was set up for credit only, so I don't count it.

Jim

[LarryInMichigan]

Larry, the information from everyone in your post on your Leich 700 post is great, especially that brochure PDF link you attached..  Also, I noticed you mentioned you had a frequency ringer in yours....I noticed this on ebay when I was searching around and it looks the same as the ringer that is in mine,  (just in case you're still needing one to fit it)...... http://cgi.ebay.com/Leich-Electric-100-Type-Telephone-Ringer_W0QQitemZ360248375415QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item53e079f877

Thanks for the ebay link, but I can get by for now with a WE ringer which also fits. Regarding the model number, I do not know/remember how the scheme worked.  Mine is stamper "105G-33 1/3" on the bottom.  Part of the number indicates the ringer frequency.

Larry

[AET]

Or he can just send one over to my house

Jim:

You really need to get one more and go beyond 13. 

[wecoguy]

Jim --

I am a bit tardy is this posting, but this is the first time in over a week I have logged in here.

I am not aware of a 3 slot panel coin phone selling at a show 5-6 years ago for $1,250.  I do know that some phones sell at shows for rather good prices because the sellers are not fully aware of their value (or sometimes just want to get their investment back and move the set.)  A light gray 565 with round buttons went for $1 at the Maitland show in January.  And a WECo 592 (the first speakerphone) sold for $350 at Lancaster last June. 

Your having a panel phone boothette (which is somewhat of a rarity, too) makes it only natural that you would want a phone for it, preferably a 3 slot panel set! 

I hope you will be able to obtain one someday!!

Best,

Russ

[LarryInMichigan]

Tim,

Congrats on your first ebay sale (#150431225878)!  I never expected it to go for that much.

Larry

[Tim]

Tim,

Congrats on your first ebay sale (#150431225878)!  I never expected it to go for that much.

Larry

Thanks Larry.  I think the presentation helped out a lot, but that was also one of the better conditioned ones (much like the one I sent to you).  I was definitely surprised as well though.  I thought that it would be in the $30's at best.....I'll probably put one or two more on ebay in the days coming, as well as maybe making a posting on the for sale forum on here..

Also, please let me know your thoughts once you recieve yours.

Tim

[LarryInMichigan]

My theory is that many people would rather pay more for a clean, good-looking phone which already works than take a gamble on a dirty, pathetic-looking one for cheap (which is what I usually buy).  Most of the $10 phones I have bought have actually cost me more like $150-$200 after all of the time I spent cleaning, polishing, and repairing them and replacing missing parts.

Larry