Interesting Ebay Seller / Wood wall phone

[wds]

I've been watching this Western Electric Wall phone, and made the seller an offer.

http://tinyurl.com/akpqzjn ( dead link 08-12-21 )

After talking to another forum member, it appears that the phone is not "authentic".  I asked the seller a couple of questions about the phone, and he suddenly cancelled my offer, and blocked me from bidding.  Wonder what he has to hide?   Don't you just love Sellers like this?

[LarryInMichigan]

To my weak eyes, the transmitter plate looks like a repro.  The whole thing seems to clean and shiny.

Some people think that they can go through life cheating others.  I don't have much love for such people.


Larry

[wds]

How about the lamp cord on the receiver?

[Doug Rose]

I've been watching this Western Electric Wall phone, and made the seller an offer.

http://tinyurl.com/akpqzjn

After talking to another forum member, it appears that the phone is not "authentic".  I asked the seller a couple of questions about the phone, and he suddenly cancelled my offer, and blocked me from bidding.  Wonder what he has to hide?   Don't you just love Sellers like this?

After you retract a bid, eBay will not allow you to rebid...you are done with the auction. This looks very suspect to me. Looks like a phoneco kit....Doug

[wds]

It shows like I retracted the bid, but it was the seller who retracted. 

[HowardPgh]

That is not a Western Electric phone. It looks like a Kellogg, missing a few parts.  A Western Electric has a rectangular base on the transmitter arm, while Kellogg has a sort of cloverleaf design base. -Howard

[AE_Collector]

<quote> THIS PHONE IS MADE OF WALNUT AND THE PRICE GUIDE VALUE IS UP TO $900.00.

Not much wood fetching $900 these days!

<quote> THIS PARTICULAR MODEL CAME WITHOUT A MAGNETO AND THE BELLS RANG FROM BATTERY POWER.

Makes it sould like the sole purpose of wooden phones was to be able to turn a crank and ring your own bells! Thus to explain the lack of a Magneto on this model...it needs batteries!

Terry

[wds]

I'm glad I asked for help with this one.  I came within $15 of accepting an offer, but luckily after talking to a forum member I asked the seller a couple questions which he apparently didn't want to answer so he cancelled his counter offer.  I would have been very unhappy if I had purchased this and then found out the phone was full of repro or non authentic parts.  Since I don't have any WE fiddlebacks, I don't have anything to compare to.  Thanks you guys for all your advice with this one.

Buyers beware..........

[poplar1]

The seller has a non-WE single box phone with similar lack of shellac but with a WE #250 transmitter arm. I was thinking that maybe the 250 belonged on the fiddleback.  However,  the mounting holes appear different on this fiddleback and two that recently sold. Also, there are no exposed terminals at the top for connecting the inside wire.

The sanding is not done on part of the inside, so maybe the wood is old.

Ebay recent sales:

330817554879
181003558330

[wds]

I've looked and looked at those pictures, and compared to other pictures.  There's something just not right about this one.  The lack of holes at the top for the terminals at the top was puzzling - I'm wondering if the backboard is new.  The wood almost looks like it was bleached.  The phone almost looks more like a Central or Kellogg than a WE.

[Doug Rose]

it is back on eBay. Check out the inside of the bottom cover. Also, those gongs like like phoneco. ..Doug

http://tinyurl.com/bnz2kv4

[dsk]

Isn't those gongs fixed with philips screws?


dsk

[TelePlay]

Is that a black plastic grommet where the receiver cord (looks like silver satin) goes into the wood?

[Sargeguy]

At least he lowered the price!!!

[rdelius]

Looks like SC ringer and switch