I give up trying to figure this out.

[Dan/Panther]

What justifies the price ?
D/P
http://tinyurl.com/r9z4mj

[HobieSport]

Just that it's clean and that it works? I don't get it either. Seeing as it's modular but with a metal dial, what year(s) do you guess it might be?

[benhutcherson]

The metal fingerwheel and round feet would put the date in the early to mid 1960s.

More than likely, one of Bell's "notchers" got a hold of it on a service call, and that's how it ended up modular. I imagine any back-to-the factory service would have returned it with a plastic fingerwheel.

[Dan/Panther]

Actually now that I thiunk about it. A non collector wanting a vintage plug and play phone, this would be perfect.
I'm not looking at all angles.
D/P

[McHeath]

It's pretty, it's plug and play, it's old and has that weird black dial thingie, and it's from an "estate". 

All very attractive to someone who, as you say, was a non-collector and just wanted a cool old phone to have around.  Note that the date is not even mentioned. 

[Dan/Panther]

I think thgat goes hand in hand with a non collector. Once I saw the modular, my interests went below zero.
I did however wonder how old it was, but didn't wonder very long.
D/P