Author Topic: Overview: The "Find of the Month" on the Classic Rotary Phones Forum (Read 23022 times)

AE_Collector · « **on:** October 02, 2011, 08:24:19 PM »

A "Find of the Month" is a telephone or a related item that you acquired during the month that you are particularly excited about either because of its rarity, the difficulty you had in trying to find it for your collection or the exceptional "deal" that you got on it. Other than that, any discussion of or comments about the nominated phone are not allowed, FOTM nominations only. As stated below, “Ideally your item would be (first) posted in its own thread elsewhere on the forum” and if so, “the forum link if discussed in another topic” is to be included in the nomination reply.

If a significant discussion of a nominated phone starts in a FOTM topic, it will be moved to a new “discussion” topic in the appropriate board and if not, then simply removed.

The "Find of the Month" contest is focused on the collection of telephones rather than on their sale for a profit. To be eligible for the "Find of the Month" contest:

- The finder must have personally acquired and actually own the item.
- The item can be acquired for free but it can not be a gift or present from anyone.
- The item (or any of its components) cannot be put up for sale during the contest period.
- Only one "Find" per owner can be in a "Find of the Month" contest.

A Nomination Should Include:

1) where and/or how the item was found.
2) the price & shipping cost.
3) the forum link to the topic discussing the find.
4) the eBay link if won there.
5) other information of importance about the find (why the item is very important to you for any reason).
6) and one or two pictures of the item.

Ideally your item would be posted in its own thread elsewhere on the forum such as "Auction Talk", "Flea Market/Yard Sale Finds" or "Collectors Corner" Board. Then you or anyone else can nominate your "Find" to the Current "Find of the Month" thread by posting at least one picture and other details including the price paid, any shipping costs and a link to the original discussion on the forum. It is not a requirement that your find be posted elsewhere on the forum but the more details the better.

Nominations of phones listed in other forum discussion topics, by members that do not own the item but realize it is indeed a "find" worthy of being nominated as a "Find of the Month" candidate, are always welcome.

Please pick your best "Find" to submit for the month limiting your entry to one phone or one "Find" that might include limited multiple items. If you have already entered for the month and come up with something even better either submit your new find indicating that it replaces your previous entry OR you can enter your new Find in next months contest.

To check out a list of all past winners including the Find of the YEAR winners, click here:
--> Winner's List <--

TelePlay has grabbed pictures of all of the "Find of the Month" winners since we started this back in 2010 and he has put them into albums on forum. Thanks John. To check them out, click here:
--> Photo Album <--

Terry

AE_Collector · « **Reply #1 on:** November 04, 2011, 06:24:07 PM »

A few notes on the "Find of the Month" for its first year October 2010 through September 2011:

With this month's voting underway for October 2011 we are starting the second year of the "Find of the Month." In the first year (October 2010 through September 2011) we voted on 53 phones and/or phone items in total over the 12 months and we had a total of 221 votes for these items. That is an average of 4 1/2 items per month and 18 1/2 votes per month.

Most ever items in a month is 9 in January 2011
Most ever votes (coincidentally the same month) is 27

Least ever number of items 2 in December 2010
Least ever votes (coincidentally the same month) is 9

There were some terrific finds for the start of our second year. Check out the October 2011 Find of the Month" and place your vote. Lets try to exceed the previous record number of 27 votes from January of this year.

Terry

--------------------------------------

Current "Find of the Month" summary from its inception (October 2010) through September 2014
(47 polls - no poll in May, 2012)

303 -- Total number of phones, phone items or groups of phones nominated
14 -- Highest number of nominations in any month (March 2013)
2 -- Lowest number of nomination in any month (December 2010)
6.45 -- Average number of nomination per month

1,160 -- Total number of members who voted
37 -- Highest number of voters in any month (March 2014)
7 -- Lowest number of voters in any month (November 2010)
24.68 -- Average number of voters per month
100.00% -- Highest voting percentage of total possible votes in any month (January 2011)
72.38% -- Lowest voting percentage of total possible votes in any month (March 2014)

2,072 -- Total possible number of votes that could have been cast
1,829 -- Total number of votes actually cast (some members did not vote all possible votes in a month)
88.27% -- Percentage of total possible votes cast
101 -- Highest number of votes in any month (March 2013)
7 -- Lowest number of votes in any month (November 2010)
38.91 -- Average number of votes per month

641 -- Total number of votes cast for the winner
24 -- Highest number of votes cast for the winner (March 2013)
6 -- Lowest number of votes cast for the winner (February 2011)
13.64 -- Average number of votes cast for the winner
100.00% -- Highest winning percentage in any month (November & December 2010)
22.60% -- Lowest winning percentage in any month (November 2013)
41.45% -- Average winning percentage in any month

365 -- Total number of votes cast for 2nd place
16 -- Highest number of votes cast for 2nd place (February 2014)
1 -- Lowest number of votes cast for 2nd place (May 2011)
7.77 -- Average number of votes cast for 2nd place
36.40% -- Highest 2nd place percentage in any month (February 2014)
7.77% -- Lowest 2nd place percentage in any month (May 2011)
21.38% -- Average 2nd place percentage in any month

Fabius · « **Reply #2 on:** April 15, 2014, 10:45:05 AM »

Can the find of the month be a scarce phone but bought at the current price for such a phone? Thanks.

tallguy58 · « **Reply #3 on:** April 15, 2014, 12:51:50 PM »

As far as I know, anything can qualify.

HarrySmith · « **Reply #4 on:** April 15, 2014, 01:43:48 PM »

Yes, anything. Especially rare, unusual or hard to find.
Even if it is just a plain phone you have been searching for to fill a hole in your collection.

TelePlay · « **Reply #5 on:** April 15, 2014, 06:57:15 PM »

I think the only rule is that you have to actually own the phone and not have it for sale or intend to sell it for at least a few weeks after the find of the month voting ends.

We ask for how/where did you get it, how much you paid for it and what, if any, was the shipping cost. That helps people in voting for the find of the month.

While the owner of a phone can submit an entry, we also encourage members to nominate phones they find listed and explained in a topic in another area of the forum. A lot of times the owner of a phone just received does not realize what a find it is and at that point, nomination by a member into the monthly contest works just fine.

The phone nominated should have been bought/found in the month entered into a contest or entered into the contest the following month, if not received until the following month.

AE_Collector, the topic moderator, spells out what a find of the month is at this link.

You can scroll through all of the contests to date at this link or you can view all of the "Find of the Month" winners and the phones that won since we started this back in 2010 at this link:
--> Photo Album <--

AE_Collector · « **Reply #6 on:** April 18, 2014, 03:02:36 AM »

Good responses everyone. No hard and fast rules as to what qualifies. Likely the biggest clue is that you were excited to "Find" it!

Looks like some Stats updates are in order for the "Find of the Month" description at the link you posted John! Thanks again for looking after the controls while I am fighting this blizzard in the South Pacific!

Terry

Russ Kirk · « **Reply #7 on:** October 31, 2014, 11:49:19 AM »

Quote from: AE_Collector on October 31, 2014, 01:14:53 AM

- The item can be acquired for free but it can not be a gift or present from anyone.

I see a rule I was not aware.

What if my wife finds one and gives it to me? Does it still count?

AE_Collector · « **Reply #8 on:** October 31, 2014, 12:37:36 PM »

Hi Russ:

Yes we have made a few adjustments to the rules and tried to clarify them a little more. As mentioned in the October 2014 contest, we attempt to keep the competition on a level playing field as much as possible while also trying to keep it primarily fun at the same time.

We have had "finds" that the forum member didn't actually own, "finds" that were free because they were gifts even though the actual item was purchased by someone else to be a gift etc. In the simplest definition a "find" would have been found by the forum member rather than having been "given to" the forum member.

The contest is based on how the items are presented on the forum so any situation can obviously be created to get around the rules.

We do welcome everyone's input on this and the rules in general. We want to try to keep the rules to a minimum while not allowing what could be seen as unfair situations within the competition.

Terry

TelePlay · « **Reply #9 on:** March 05, 2015, 07:41:48 PM »

This topic is being created for two reasons.

1) To move all of the comments posted in the March Find of the Month topic concerning the "rules" out of that topic.

and

2) To put all of those comments in one place so they can be discussed, opened for discussion, at some time in the future.

This is being created as a unique discussion of recent "rules" related comments rather than lose these comments at the end of the relatively long discussion of rules, or guidelines, controlling the Find of the Month contests. This topic will most likely remain dormant until AE_Collector returns from his sabbatical.

The last post left in the March 2015 Find of the Month topic is copied below provided as a reference point as to why the following replies were split out of that topic and moved into this one.

=================================

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13559.msg144951#msg144951

Quote

Quote from: TelePlay on March 05, 2015, 08:03:23 PM
Quote from: WEBellSystemChristian on March 05, 2015, 11:36:29 AM
Hold on... ...does this entry still count? I just found the Rose 302 that Mark had bought in the lot for sale on ebay:

This is under consideration right now. More to come.

Okay, after consideration and discussion, given the rules put into place by AE_collector

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5699.msg67051#msg67051

and my reply last April in a topic discussion of what can be nominated under the rules,

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5699.msg124477#msg124477

in which I said "I think the only rule is that you have to actually own the phone and not have it for sale or intend to sell it for at least a few weeks after the find of the month voting ends."

. . . since at least one of the phones is now an active auction on eBay,

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261801234038

that auction disqualifies all phones purchased, the group of phones, and as such, the nomination of the purchased group for the Find of the Month - March 2015 is hereby disqualified.

Note: The first ever run off along with a discussion of how to handle too many entries in a month and the rukes in general were discussed in the August 2013 Find of the Month.
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=9944.0

Russ Kirk · « **Reply #10 on:** March 05, 2015, 10:33:48 PM »

I think this a good and fair decision.

Doug Rose · « **Reply #11 on:** March 06, 2015, 05:42:45 AM »

We all have our opinions and I know rules are rules....but this was one hell of a find at a very reasonable price. Just my humble opinion...Doug

mark9564 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 06, 2015, 08:30:57 AM »

I can live with the decision.

unbeldi · « **Reply #13 on:** March 06, 2015, 08:48:41 AM »

I think the "rules" ought to be changed. This should not have happened. Mark said he wants to sell SOME and keep others. Certainly not unreasonable. Who would not want to recover the cost of the acquisition. Not doing so, is unreasonable, given the size of the find.

He ought to be able to submit his favorite pieces of the find himself. After all it was not he who submitted the entry. He had no chance of doing so, as someone else jumped the gun. This should also be changed, IMHO.

But as Mark said in other words, there are more important things in life than winning this "competition".

HarrySmith · « **Reply #14 on:** March 06, 2015, 09:47:30 AM »

I agree. Mark stated he was going to keep some and sell some. IF Mark wants to nominate one that he is keeping, why not?
I agree the find as a lot has to be disqualified but not every phone in the lot.

If your visit to the Classic Rotary Phones Forum was enjoyable or helpful, you may tell us by making a small donation. The donation can be made safely via PayPal and will help to off-set the costs of the Forum operation. Thank you!