Question about a phone value?

Witty · January 16, 2012, 04:15:38 PM

I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right category or not so please excuse me if I'm in the wrong one.

I'm looking at a WE D-173487 phone to possibly purchase, in very good condition, that works. I haven't gotten to open it up yet so am looking at it based on the outside condition for now. It has the clear plastic dial, so I'm not sure if they came that way or it was replaced. It has the metal body, with the four screws on the bottom, and very clean. The handset is the F-6. I was just wondering what a good value would be for one of these, before I go off spending too much for it.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
Ken

McHeath · January 17, 2012, 12:27:21 AM

This one is out of my league, anyone know?

AE_Collector · January 17, 2012, 12:32:56 AM

Do you mean that you have the opportunity to buy one in particular or that you are presently on the hunt for one?

What is a WE D-173487 ? Can you post a picture?

Terry

rdelius · January 17, 2012, 09:27:48 AM

I beleive this is a military version of a 302 set with TP6A type base -4 screws instead of 2.Not very common
Robby

Doug Rose · January 17, 2012, 09:57:24 AM

I wish you had asked the question earlier, this went really cheap.....Doug

http://tinyurl.com/849ha7t

LarryInMichigan · January 17, 2012, 10:11:20 AM

Quote from: Doug Rose on January 17, 2012, 09:57:24 AM
I wish you had asked the question earlier, this went really cheap.....Doug

http://tinyurl.com/849ha7t

I cannot imagine how that was missed. I would have bought it for that price. I have Signal Corps phones from Connecticut, AE, North, and Kellogg, but not WE.

Larry

Doug Rose · January 17, 2012, 10:18:13 AM

I was going to get it "just because" but the seller could not guarantee a Medium Priority Flat box. I wish I had known.......bummer....Doug

AE_Collector · January 17, 2012, 11:39:01 AM

That is where it is "not helpful" that we refrain from posting auctions for phones that are in progress. Quite often I see AE phones on ebaY that I won't be bidding on but would like to point out things about them that might make them interesting to other Forum members. Due to past discussions about not posting active auctions to the forum I don't do that.

Terry

Witty · January 17, 2012, 01:34:19 PM

Thank you all for your comments. I will try to get a picture of the phone this afternoon and post it, showing the top and the bottom. It only has the D-173487 stamp on the bottom. I was actually able to find a website that describes it in more detail. It appears that Robby was right on. If you scroll down you will see the TP-6-A, which was used to make the D-173487. This is very fascinating. If the owner of the website is a member of this group, maybe he could shed some light on it's value.

http://www.paul-f.com/we300typ.htm

I am trying to buy this one, but the seller is asking $190. Seems too high to me, which is why I thought I would get some opinions from the more experienced collectors here. I'm sure I can talk him down some, but not sure how much. Thanks to everyone for your comments.

Ken

Doug Rose · January 17, 2012, 01:41:20 PM

Quote from: AE_collector on January 17, 2012, 11:39:01 AM
That is where it is "not helpful" that we refrain from posting auctions for phones that are in progress. Quite often I see AE phones on ebaY that I won't be bidding on but would like to point out things about them that might make them interesting to other Forum members. Due to past discussions about not posting active auctions to the forum I don't do that.

Terry

Terry....Agreed....I lost that battle to a concensus when a new member to the Forum complained that I ruined an auction he was trying to "steal." He is no longer active.

I always thought it was helpful to post an interesting auction, might just help a member find a phone they are looking for. eBay is wordwide, so I don't think a post on the Forum will hurt anyone's chances, but that's just me.

Doug

AE_Collector · January 17, 2012, 02:14:13 PM

Yeah I don't know what the best answer is or if there is a "Best Answer". A consideration is that there are usually between 3 and 5 times as many non forum members online here at any given time as compared to forum members on line. The non members get the information as well as the forum members.

I wondered recently about that red AE 90 with painted hook (fairly rare version) that I had commented on. It was listed for months and months with no bids. The seller slowly dropped the opening bid and one day recently I added to the old thread that it was finally down to a good opening price for what it was. Within hours it sold.

Terry

G-Man · January 17, 2012, 03:09:23 PM

Quote from: Witty on January 16, 2012, 04:15:38 PM
I'm not sure if I'm posting in the right category or not so please excuse me if I'm in the wrong one.

I'm looking at a WE D-173487 phone to possibly purchase, in very good condition, that works. I haven't gotten to open it up yet so am looking at it based on the outside condition for now. It has the clear plastic dial, so I'm not sure if they came that way or it was replaced. It has the metal body, with the four screws on the bottom, and very clean. The handset is the F-6. I was just wondering what a good value would be for one of these, before I go off spending too much for it.

Thanks for any help anyone can provide.
Ken

The instrument you describe has been modified since the dial has a clear-plastic finger-wheel and the F6 handset is intended for use with explosive atmosphere telephones.

Here is a BSP giving a general description of the 300-series and D-173487 telephones- http://tinyurl.com/792xsbr

Witty · January 17, 2012, 07:40:49 PM

G-Man,
Thanks for the info. From reading the BSP you included, it appears these sets were installed with the option to add a dial locally. I would assume that means most any of the current dials at the time could have been installed on these during hookup. The handset could easily be replaced with the standard F1 handset that was original to them. When I get to look at the phone again, hopefully tomorrow, I will get him to let me open it up and see if the moisture resistance parts are still intact. The phone is very intereting to say the least, but still not sure of what kind of value it might have.

Thanks again for everyones help.

Ken

Dan/Panther · January 20, 2012, 01:22:04 PM

I know we would all like to have our questions answered on an unusual find, BEFORE we buy it, But if the price is dirt cheap, take a chance on your instincts, if you are wrong you can resell the item, ore part it out, and learn from the experience. Some collectors have spent years studying, and perfecting the little details that make a rare find. I found my #D177, 500 field test set and nabbed it from Dennis for $220.00. If we had posted what we thought, to the forum it would have most likely hit 10 times the price I paid. I bought it on a hunch after close examination of the 'Z' dial plate.
I sweat bullets for 5 days hoping no one would post the auction. I still stand by the thinking that do your home work and you to will make that once in a lifer time find, but why penalize the guy that did his home work, because you didn't bother to ? That is what collecting is about.
Please and this is my feelings only, don't post questions about a phone you don't have a clue what it is. All you will do is draw attention to the auction, and up the price by maybe hundreds of dollars. DO YOUR OWN HOMEWORK.

D/P

wds · January 20, 2012, 02:33:16 PM

I think part of the homework is asking questions, whether it's with a friend, or on this website. For some novices like myself, sometimes we don't know where to look, so we try here. The flip side of this is that I had a phone on Ebay for 3-4 weeks, without a nibble. Very nice phone, just no interest. One day there was a posting on this forum for the same phone - the next day my phone was sold. If that person had not asked a question about that particular model phone, mine would not have sold. So, whoever asked that question on this forum, thanks!

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Question about a phone value?