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When is a plastic discolored phone past the point of no return?

Started by TelePlay, July 22, 2018, 10:28:54 AM

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TelePlay

Opened another box this morning and just sighed as I pulled out the phone and set it on my work bench.

The big question, when is a phone just not worth it to restore?

The yellow plastics are greatly discolored from light over the years, the worst I've ever seen, and while it could be brought back to yellow with hours of work, is sit worth it for a 921A22-093 Accent (tall case, wicker in yellow) telephone from June of 1975?

Might be easy to color restore (not a whole lot of plastic area) this phone but since my WE Aqua Blue 500  (which I spent a good 10 hours on plus the cost of restoration materials at about $4) only sold for a $29.00 plus shipping, what's the point in restoring this phone?

So, the question on the work bench is simple, when is a phone past the point of no return, worth it, to restore based on market demand and/or value? Or, to put it another way, if you had the experience (knew how to do it and have done several) to color restore this phone, would you take on this phone regardless of intent (keep it or sell it)?

What do you think I should do?

Jim Stettler

I don't restore telephones. I buy them and look at them. (then pack them away and buy more)

In my opinion that phone is to much work to restore for re-sell.

However: No matter how discolored , cracked, broken  a phone might be, It always has some use as a practice piece for new restoration techniques.

I would save it until you find a new restoration technique to try.
Just my opinion,
Jim S.
You live, You learn,
You die, you forget it all.

FABphones

hmmmm....

Maybe put it into auction as is, at a start price just to cover purchase price and a couple of dollars extra (plus shipping as normal) as an experiment, to see if it sells and for how much compared with all the work put into the blue phone?

Or offer it as is for a few dollars (to cover purchase price) plus shipping via CRPF classifieds?

If it doesn't sell, is any of it worth more as parts?

And if the above don't work out, restore it as and when (I quite like the new technique idea)?
A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

RotarDad

John - You bring up very good points here.  If the resto is fun and/or part of trying out new techniques (and sharing your learnings with us.....  ;) ), then spending the time may make great sense.  Your blue 500 is an example.  Otherwise, I believe you have to put a significant value on your time, and walk away from most of these high-effort/low-dollar-value projects.  I've tried to "reform" myself in this area, and let a lot of stuff go without feeling I need to "fix it".....  :D
Paul

Butch Harlow

Viking funeral.

In all seriousness. That phone is not worth the effort to restore. Maybe there are some parts worth saving, maybe it's worth it to try a few techniques with no expectations? But it definitely looks a bit too far gone.
Butch Harlow

Doug Rose

John.... I saw your  blue 500 set with an amazing transformation go for under $30. You put many hours of hard work into it.

If you get this up to your standards, what would it sell for?  It is not a desirable phone.

I think you knew the anger before you asked the question......sorry....Doug
Kidphone

TelePlay

Quote from: Doug Rose on July 22, 2018, 12:51:52 PM
John.... I saw your  blue 500 set with an amazing transformation go for under $30. You put many hours of hard work into it.

If you get this up to your standards, what would it sell for?  It is not a desirable phone.

Doug, as you said in this post,

Quote from: Doug Rose on July 20, 2018, 09:45:04 PM
When I read a book, I don't dog ear the pages. I don't spill food or drink on it. It's about respect.

I feel the same way about phones. I just couldn't sell that Aqua 500 on eBay looking green just knowing what was under the thin, top plastic layer. Would have been lucky to get $9.99 if left green. So I did someone a big nice by taking it back to Aqua and of course, lost money on it. I think I paid $25 for the phone. But that was a 500 and someone is now going to have a sharp looking phone on their desk, or for sale in their antique mall booth for $100.

It's a hobby and by definition, a hobby does not make money, an IRS rule (a business that takes a loss each year is seen as a hobby and not entitled to business considerations for tax purposes).

This Accent phone is not a somewhat rare colored 500 but should it get any less treatment and respect being something that has successfully survived some 40 years? Other than discoloration, it's a working phone. Would I get $9.99 on eBay? That's about it if it sold at all. Is it worth the effort? No. Would I even get my original purchase price and restoration costs out of it? No. But if color restored, it would make one person's day, the person who would buy it for a deal.

But, how about putting a green handset on it and selling it in the sports memorabilia section (Green Bay Packers are green and gold)? Football season is approaching.

Right now, it's back in the box while I think about it. Have to do something with it, but what is the question.

Pourme

Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Key2871

Can you find another WE K handset in yellow?
That's where most of the work lies.
But Yea, I hear taps too.. well it would make a good organ donor.
KEN

FABphones

A collector of  'Monochrome Phones with Sepia Tones'   ...and a Duck!
***********
Vintage Phones - 10% man made, 90% Tribble
*************

TelePlay

Quote from: FabPhones on July 22, 2018, 04:23:42 PM
Taps?

The common name of a song, a tune, origin of which seems to be European in tune and title (Taps is short for longer titles).

From a military web site and Wikipedia.

"Taps" is mostly an American military tune comprised of only 24 notes that is sounded at the completion of a military funeral ceremony.

"Taps" is a bugle call played at dusk, during flag ceremonies, and at military funerals by the United States Armed Forces. The official military version is played by a single bugle or trumpet.

They played Taps in the sound track of the movie "A Christmas Story" when the father walked out of scene to bury his busted leg lamp in the back yard signifying the final end of the leg lamp, its death,

Desert Phone Guy

Keep it and use it for parts, if you are into that style of phone.  I keep everything from screws on up.  Spare parts for vintage equipment is something you cannot buy at the local hardware store.

Haf

John,

you are right when you want to treat even this discolored phone with respekt, it is still a phone and thus part of our hobby. Even if most of us consider it monetary worthless - who knows, maybe to someone out there it does have an emotional or whatever value. But your time is precoius too, we all only do have a limited amount of lifetime. So what about selling this phone as is for restauration and give someone the great experience of bringing it back to original. I would consider this phone a good "starter phone" to improve restoration skills maybe even for a beginner (I would not have dared to learn new techniques with a high valuable phone- if it goes wrong, well, I probably couldn't forgive myself my stupidity). But many of us have experienced the satisfaction when one has himself restored a phone with a nice result. To me way better feeling than just have bought it that way.

Haf
Telephone:
0049-030-55474418
1-415-449-4743
1-604-757-7474

Pourme

~

I didn't consider the fact that our non-American members wouldn't know the significance of Taps...  ;)
Benny

Panasonic 308/616 Magicjack service

Haf

Quote from: Pourme on July 22, 2018, 05:03:10 PM
~

I didn't consider the fact that our non-American members wouldn't know the significance of Taps...  ;)

...and that this word has a different meaning for at least the German speaking members ;)

Taps, tapsen = to pitter patter your feet or paws

Haf
Telephone:
0049-030-55474418
1-415-449-4743
1-604-757-7474