New forum members are very welcome and encouraged to take a guess. After all, there are no wrong guesses, just one lucky one. No one knows the winning bid on any auction until it ends. However, it is important to get your guess in before someone else grabs your guess.
This is starting as a special auction contest just for the fun of it because the item was listed with a reserve. Listed is a very interesting muting mouthpiece for a candlestick telephone. It was listed yesterday in a 7 day auction with a reserve starting at $35.00 and since then three buyers have bid the price up to $56. I've been told (by a forum member tipster) that this item will go higher but how high is also the question.
If the reserve is met at any point right up to the auction end, this special contest will be converted over to a real auction contest with a winner. If the reserve is not met, the normal special auction contest rules will apply. So, who thinks they know what this will sell for when the auction ends?
NOTE: Since this may become a "counts" auction contest, we will use a $3.00 gap rule between guesses to prevent crowding. As such, keep your guess at least $3.00 away from prior guesses for this contest. In a bit of a change to special contests, since it may be converted over, we will allow one guess and the ability to revise that guess once as long as all guesses and revisions are entered at least 24 hours before the auction ends.
The seller listed it as an "1917 Antique Candlestick telephone Mute-A-Phone", the item condition as "Used" and " - - - " and with the auction listing description saying "Made by Pelouze Manufacturing Co Chicago. Pat Dec 4, 1917. This is a privacy attachment for a candlestick telephones. It shows wear and paint loss as you can see from photos. About 4 1/2 inches long by about 2 1/2 inches wide. Very early rare piece. Shipping free to lower 48 and eBay international center others at cost. What you see is what get."
http://www.ebay.com/itm/291740559407
Since this is starting as a "special rules" no winner contest, the best guesser will not be included in the CRPF Auction Contest Hall of Fame or be counted in the CRPF Contest Standings as a win. For now, this one is just for fun and if the reserve is not met, the best guesser will take a place in the Special Auction Contest Standings (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13212.msg138775#msg138775).
If the reserve is met, this contest will be converted into a "counts" contest and the winner will either get on or move up a rung in the CRPF -> Contest Standings <- (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=4198.0) list,
. . . for as twocvbloke said, ---> "You gotta be in it to win it !!!" ;D "
S C O R E B O A R D
$ 110.00 - tallguy58 ( 1 )
$ 113.00 - andre_janew ( 5 )
$ 177.77 - Dan/Panther ( 7 )
$ 215.00 - 19and41 ( 8 )
$ 220.00 - Sargeguy ( 3 )
$ 235.00 - Fabius ( 4 )
$ 244.00 - skyrider ( 10 )
$ 255.00 - wds ( 2 )
$ 265.00 - Russ Kirk ( 6 ) -> WINNER - Final Selling Price $263.00 ( reserve not met )
$ 422.00 - compubit ( 11 )
$ 900.00 - HarrySmith ( 9 )
Early Morning Auction Status
04-17-16 Listed $ 35.00
04-18-16 27 bids $ 56.00
04-19-16 27 bids $ 56.00
04-20-16 27 bids $ 56.00
04-21-16 30 bids $ 128.00
04-22-16 31 bids $ 146.50
04-23-16 36 bids $ 258.00
04-24-16 37 bids $ 263.00
04-24-16 8 bidders, 37 bids $263.00 Ended at 14:30:38 PDT ( reserve not met )
$110
$255
$220
$235
$113
$265
$177.77
D/P
$215.00 Please. I wonder if the manufacturer is the same as Pelouze scales?
$900.00!
First time I have seen one of these but I have seen a similar one, called :Hush-A-Phone sell for well over $500.00
$244.00 Thanks
$422
The winner of this Special Auction Contest is Russ Kirk who with the 6th guess of the contest offered a winning guess of $265.00 to get his very first win in the Special Auction Contest Standings. The item did not sell in that the reserve (whatever it was and it was indeed quite high) was not met. The high bid, $263.00, was placed a bit more than a day before the auction ended stood to the final second, no snipes, and no one will be taking the item home. Once again, an auction ended with the seller winning the phone, thanks to his high reserve bid, but it was still a win for Russ Kirk for coming closest to the current market value for this item, what the highest bidder was willing to pay for the item.
Check out the Special Auction Contest (http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13212.0) standing page to see who else has won in the 15 CRPF Special Auction Contests to date.
Woo hoo! If I saw it at phone show for that amount I would have grabbed it!