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Craigslist bonanza!

Started by Pourme, April 28, 2016, 01:18:18 PM

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Pourme

I am so excited I can hardly type this post! I rarely go on Craigslist but I did yesterday. I found a ad for a table full of phones for $400. (The last picture posted)

The RED 302 caught my eye, then I started noticing all the rest. I don't even know the proper model number for all the goodies here. The wood Kellogg and WE model!
The ad said it was listed 25 days ago. I figured someone had already snatched it up and he didn't delete the ad. He responded in a text that he still had them. I called him and he agreed to drive 40 minutes to meet me. We is a retired Western Electric employee of 40 years. He said he was moving and needed to lighten his load. He had a couple of boxes of "parts" he would throw in.

I meet him today and you can see what he gave me for the same asking price! Even framed and matted art work! I usually never buy without trying to negotiate a better price. I told him I wasn't even going to ask.....I just wanted to load the phones up and give him his cash before he changed his mind!

Twenty one phones in all!

The ones I have opened and took a peek of have matching dates throughout. He must have grabbed them up before they were refreshed. He said most of them came form the days he worked in Detroit area.

The red 302 is in excellent condition. I haven't found a crack of a chip at all!

I would love to hear your expert comments on this find and anything you see of note.

Which one goes into "Find of the Month"?   
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

More pics...I love the dial cards!
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

Here are the framed pieces
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

The Kellogg 20163...I can't tell what date that is. Would it be 1919?
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

unbeldi

Bonanza is certainly the right word, and the price is not to haggle about.

Sell just a few of the phones and you get the rest for free.
The red one alone is worth that.  Or is it Old Rose?  In one picture it looks red, in the other old rose.

Congratulations.

Pourme

Quote from: unbeldi on April 28, 2016, 01:37:35 PM
Bonanza is certainly the right word, and the price is not to haggle about.

Sell just a few of the phones and you get the rest for free.
The red one alone is worth that.  Or is it Old Rose?  In one picture it looks red, in the other old rose.

Congratulations.

I think red? Here are some pics
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

Here is the ivory 302
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Pourme

Is this the one referred to as a ashtray?
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

unbeldi

#8
Yes, it is Pekin Red, dash code 20.

It looks in nice condition, this red plastic polishes up to very nice gloss very easily. Nice to get the red mask number card too.
The ivory seems in similar good condition.  The brownish spots are mold that develops predominantly on the ivory plastic, but it also polishes off well.  Don't hesitate to use something like Fantastic kitchen cleaner on it for a first cleaning. It contains some bleaching agents too, and will give great first results, at least so you can evaluate how much yellowing the surface has undergone.  If too much, it can be easily bleached with house-hold bleach, Chlorox.
The dial face looks outstanding.
The ivory should be worth $150 or more.
I would be interested to learn about the type marks and dates on the cords of both set.

I see now that both the ivory and the red sets are actually 304 type telephones, not 302.  The 304 was used on party lines.
By the type of cord on the ivory, as I can see, I suspect it is from 1949-1951.   PS: ah, yes. they are from 1950.  The ivory cords used finer cloth early on.  Not sure about the red.

unbeldi

Quote from: Pourme on April 28, 2016, 02:04:26 PM
Is this the one referred to as a ashtray?

No, that is a North Electric 6H
Essentially it is a 302 type device in a sideway housing.

'Ashtray' usually refers to a Kellogg 1930s telephone, type 925.

unbeldi

Quote from: Pourme on April 28, 2016, 01:35:15 PM
The Kellogg 20163...I can't tell what date that is. Would it be 1919?

20163 is not the telephone model number, but simply the circuit drawing number.  I have to look at catalogs to cross-reference that to a model number.  But in any case these were made as early as perhaps 1917.  I do have an earlier version of the diagram, drawn slightly differently.

An interesting aspect of this is that it was normally used as a local battery set, but was designed to be converted to common battery operation.

unbeldi

I love the sets with those Detroit number cards,  Woodward.

You have several B1 sets there, those with the circular base.  They are sought after usually.

You also have a nice looking ivory 202 Continental, DRexel,  would like to learn about its numbers and internals. It has a new style finger wheel, not the open center type, and those usually are only found when sets were refurbished in the 1960s.
Of course you also some some oval base black D1s or 202s, depending on wiring.




Pourme

Quote from: unbeldi on April 28, 2016, 03:18:04 PM
I love the sets with those Detroit number cards,  Woodward.

You have several B1 sets there, those with the circular base.  They are sought after usually.

You also have a nice looking ivory 202 Continental, DRexel,  would like to learn about its numbers and internals. It has a new style finger wheel, not the open center type, and those usually are only found when sets were refurbished in the 1960s.
Of course you also some some oval base black D1s or 202s, depending on wiring.

Thanks for your responses...I'm like a kid at Christmas wondering what to play with first. I keep going from one to the other!....I will eventually sell some and keep some....the question is which? No hurry right now to do anything but explore and learn and enjoy!
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Doug Rose

Benny...what an amazing find. How fast did you drive those 40 miles to get there in 10 minutes!!! Congrats....it is a Bonanza! I am very happy for you...Doug
Kidphone

Jim Stettler

And that is how one gets hooked into collecting large quanities of telephones .
Great buy. Sell the ones you don't like and use the extra cash to buy more telephones.



JMO,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.