Hi Collectors,
I looked with great interest at a current Ebay listing attached below for a 1908 Rochester 8" hubcap(Style A) in excellent condition. What I found shocking was how different it looked from my authentic 1908 Rochester Hubcap(style B) analyzed by this forum in 6/2017 when I was still oozing with inexperience. It was judged by the Forum to be worth between $250 and $400. I ultimately purchased my "rarer" version (B) for $325 +Sh. If you compare my 1908 hubcap(B) photo with the 1921 version mounted below for comparison to the Ebay listing(A) you will see a different font size and style inside the bell which is also different in shape than my Style B Rochester. Moreover the Ebay 1908 hubcap(A) has the single heavy outer blue edge ring common to the 1908 hubcaps AND a thinner inner blue ring normally seen on the 1921 hubcaps . The backs on mine and the Ebay version both are satisfyingly sloppy. I was sure I spotted an imposter on Ebay despite the heavy porcelain ledging when I did my homework looking elsewhere and found TWO other exact versions of the Ebay style(A) listed in the Telephone Archive website www.telephonearchive.com under Sign Gallery >Bell Signs>Hubcap and also in the same site under Sign Gallery> By Collector>Mark Redmond. I can only comment now I have the less common variety.
Any thoughts about the substantial variation in style?
Regards,
Bob Farber ATCA, TCI
It could have been two different manufacturers. I agree they both look legit.
Remember... Rochester used the 08 logo after 1921. Both these so called
variations are consistent with other signs of that era.
This Rochester Telephone Corp. hubcap ending up selling for $510.00 + shipping - I did bid on it, but was left in the dust!
So did this sell for a fair price, was it overpriced or ?
Any opinions?
eBay Link: https://tinyurl.com/y5npomkq (https://tinyurl.com/y5npomkq)
(//)
Let's see how this one does...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/323726223434 (https://www.ebay.com/itm/323726223434)
For this sign to sell for $510 is way out of line. This sign was made after 1921 and is NOT rare. A little harder to find, at best, only because its a fairly small company. If someone needs this sign to fill out their collection then $350 is tops IMHO.
Of course collectors can bid what ever is in their comfort zone but a little caution should be applied.
Cheers..... Ell
Quote from: Sargeguy on March 08, 2019, 12:56:53 PM
Let's see how this one does...
As often happens when an item sells for much more than expected someone puts thiers on eBay to get the big bucks. I have one and I thought about listing it to see if I could get 500+
Tom...... Now if this was a Woodbury Telephone sign it would be a different story. LOL ;D
I was researching past eBay sales recently and noticed that there have been a few common signs that have gone for inflated prices recently, mostly Bell 1921 type. There was a nice, but not mint, NET&T sign that sold for $500. There must be a couple of deep pocketed collectors competing with one another.
For a small company Rochester certainly used a lot of signage. Must have had them on half the structures in the city. They even used an 11X11, flat aluminum sign with the 08 logo. When I first heard of them I was not sure they were legit until I owed a couple.
Quote from: Signguy on March 08, 2019, 11:20:50 PM
Tom...... Now if this was a Woodbury Telephone sign it would be a different story. LOL ;D
I was at Woodbury Telephone a long time ago. About 1974. I don't recall any signs but back then I wasn't interested in that stuff. I heard Woodbury Telephone was absorbed into Southern New England Telephone sometime after the AT&T breakup.
I learned that the flat aluminum Rochester signs were used as retirement gifts for long time employees. I'm not sure if they were used exclusively for that purpose.
Quote from: Sargeguy on March 10, 2019, 12:08:16 AM
I learned that the flat aluminum Rochester signs were used as retirement gifts for long time employees. I'm not sure if they were used exclusively for that purpose.
Greg.... You might be right on that. One of the ones I had was found glued to a mirror in the bathroom of a bar in Greece, New York but that doesn't prove anything.
What you learned sounds plausible to me.