Auction 118: Green American Electric 11A Monophone Rotary Telephone

[Scotophor]

$4380

[TelePlay]

$4,515.00

[TelePlay]

With exactly 3 days to go in this auction, the phone sits at $3,961.87, up $500 from yesterday.

There is one available slot left and $5,256 or above. This is one crazy auction.

[baldopeacock]

If you win this auction you may want to pick up the matching AE34:

Antique Automatic Electric AE34 Emerald Green Telephone

Somebody must be thinking the same thing because the AE34 is now also bid to the stratosphere.  $3538.35.   Would have made a great contest phone as well.

[TelePlay]

Current bid: $4,261.87  This is getting interesting . . .

[Contempra]

This phone is broken... too much money ...Must be really crazy or stupid to buy a phone to $4.000. Especially since this is not a rare phone and broken in addition. You will notice that it is my personal opinion but I maintain it..

[Kenton K]

this is not a rare phone

I think any colored AE phone (pre ae80) is exceptionally rare. More rare than colored WE 302 and similar. Can anybody shine light on to this?

KK

[Contempra]

this is not a rare phone

I think any colored AE phone (pre ae80) is exceptionally rare. More rare than colored WE 302 and similar. Can anybody shine light on to this?

KK

Rare or not, It still shouldn't go crazy at this point to buy a phone at this price. Me, never I will not buy a phone at this price. I'd put this money to a better place...There is so much poverty in this world, I would use this money elsewhere. I must never forget that this is only a hobby and there are limits that should never exceeded because then it becomes a debility you regret one day. Finally, as I have already said, this is my opinion and it engages only me. However, I know where to put my money. I am willing to pay a certain sum of money for a nice phone but not $4,000.Indeed, if I had that money, my wife does suffer not diseases which our dear Governments and mayors of our cities can not manage in our hospitals. and finally, I find that $4,000 for a phone, this is money lost and thrown out the window Kenton.


Best regards, Denis.

[Fabius]

It's not always money lost. From day one I always thought of my collection as an invetment. While I couldn't always buy the high price item I tried to always buy quality original  items,. I had a small but nice collection of payphones and payphone parts which I had for about 20 years. When my daughter went to college I sold most of it to help pay for college. The return in my investment was incredible! Recently I sold off a few pieces to downsize for a move and again I was amazed at the prices my stuff fetched. Yes, it's a hobby but it's an investment also.

[Contempra]

It's not always money lost. From day one I always thought of my collection as an invetment. While I couldn't always buy the high price item I tried to always buy quality original  items,. I had a small but nice collection of payphones and payphone parts which I had for about 20 years. When my daughter went to college I sold most of it to help pay for college. The return in my investment was incredible! Recently I sold off a few pieces to downsize for a move and again I was amazed at the prices my stuff fetched. Yes, it's a hobby but it's an investment also.

Unfortunately Fabius, some things even more important than that. Sorry. It's enough for me now

[Russ Kirk]

Yes, it's a hobby but it's an investment also.

I agree,  the best phones, even at high prices will good long term investments.

[TelePlay]

Less than 1 day to go so the guesses are locked in place as is, and one of two people will win the contest, tallguy58 or Fabius. This has certainly been a unique auction making a very interesting contest.

[Kenton K]

this is not a rare phone

I think any colored AE phone (pre ae80) is exceptionally rare. More rare than colored WE 302 and similar. Can anybody shine light on to this?

KK

Rare or not, It still shouldn't go crazy at this point to buy a phone at this price. Me, never I will not buy a phone at this price. I'd put this money to a better place...There is so much poverty in this world, I would use this money elsewhere. I must never forget that this is only a hobby and there are limits that should never exceeded because then it becomes a debility you regret one day. Finally, as I have already said, this is my opinion and it engages only me. However, I know where to put my money. I am willing to pay a certain sum of money for a nice phone but not $4,000.Indeed, if I had that money, my wife does suffer not diseases which our dear Governments and mayors of our cities can not manage in our hospitals. and finally, I find that $4,000 for a phone, this is money lost and thrown out the window Kenton.


Best regards, Denis.

I absolutely agree that I would not personally spend that much money on one particular phone. I would have much more satisfaction with the hundreds of 302s $4,000 could buy and all the other good one could do.

regards-Ken

[TelePlay]

I would have much more satisfaction with the hundreds of 302s  . . .

. . . or hundreds of rare candlesticks. While reading all the posts in this auction about dollars, I kept trying to find a topic put up on the forum some time ago.

Finally, I FOUND IT! Pete D'Acosta's collection of 250 rare candlesticks posted in October of 2012 by dencins.

The link above is a topic that has two links within it, a link to a magazine article talking about his collection and a link to his web site.

What's interesting about the magazine article is that nowhere within it is a dollar figure for a phone or the collection ever mentioned. The term used throughout is value, as in investment and in hopeful appreciation. Few have the resources to do what he did, assemble that magnificent collection, but those collectors are out there, they have the resources and they invest their funds in those items they feel will increase in value over time. To paraphrase what Fabius said in an above post, a good investment pays a profitable return over time. As in real estate, it's why lake front property is always expensive, increasing in value and over all a very good investment over time because they stopped making real lakes a long time ago.

And, they stopped making green AE Type 11A Monophones a long time ago.

[AE_Collector]

Many ways to look at high priced phones I guess. One way is that someone pockets Big Bux when someone else pays Big Bux. Maybe the guy pocketing the cash will really put it to good use...or even donate some or all of it.

Myself, I don't have many that are worth very much. Mostly AE phones. I have always wanted a Strowger 11 digit stick. I recently had the opportunity to pick one up for about $2500 but passed as I just couldn't see myself getting $2500 worth of enjoyment from it. That said, I am just home from a 35 day trip that cost me about $11.5K in total.

Terry