The important thing is, I'm teaching.

[AET]

My best friend got ahold of me at work today, with picture messages of a 500 and an AE90.  He told me that he was helping clean out his aunt's barn and while her, Jon, and Jon's folks were talking, it came up that I collected rotary phones.  His aunt said "Oh, I just threw one out" and there went Jon, digging through the trash to dig it out, and she said another one was laying around and Jon's dad found it.  The 500 is an SC from 81 and the AE90 is from 64 and my first Portage Native.  I didn't realize Portage was GTE territory until just recently and just this week I noticed the GTE manhole covers in town.  But I digress, the moral of the story is that the phones are safe and sound on my kitchen table and sometimes it pays to post pics of your "apartment that looks like grandma's house" and your phone collection.  Jon's Mom saw them on facebook and that brought on the conversation. 

[bwanna]

good work! tom

[Just4Phones]

Good save and a good addition to your collection Tom.  And you can't beat that price 

[Kenny C]

GREAT

[McHeath]

Great save!  It's pretty cool when you save a local phone.  I've never seen an AE 90 in person, this was Ma Bell Land all the way.  I did not even know there were other phones back in the day, I figured that the Bell System lineup was what was in use nationwide. 

[AET]

I was shocked when I found out Portage was GTE territory, but I have 2 90's and 3 or 4 80's now.  Only one is local though.  Now I need to find one that isn't 742, but RIverside 2.