Find of the Month - October 2011

[AE_Collector]

Post your "Finds of the Month" for October 2011 Here.

"Finds of the Month" are items that you acquired this month that you are particulatly excited about either because of its rarity, difficulty you had trying to find for your collection, the exceptional "deal" you got on its price etc.

Terry

[DavePEI]

I am pleased with my personal find of the month, my 11 Digit Strowger dial phone as discussed in:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5482.0

I Have been looking for one for over 40 years for one at an affordable price to replace the three my parents threw out when I went to college. They were always too expensive, or there were other things I needed worse, or I was too late.

Dave

[AE_Collector]

Yes right on Dave. A long time coming "Find of the Month" for you.

I would have said "Find of a Lifetime" or something close to that but I recall you snagging a certain late 1800's Wooden Bell Telephone on the Island that probably beats the Strowger out of that award!

Terry

[DavePEI]

I would have said "Find of a Lifetime" or something close to that but I recall you snagging a certain late 1800's Wooden Bell Telephone on the Island that probably beats the Strowger out of that award!

Despite the value of the 3 box Blake transmitter set, this one means a whole lot more to me. The 3 boxer was just a lucky break! Having this one now, it like a trip back to when I was young! Took 40 years to get another, but well worth the wait!

Dave

[JubileeCompact]

Hey Guys

Ive already posted about this in the auction thread but my find of the month - indeed one of my best finds ever has gotta be my 706 with cloth cords and chromed dial - especially at the price!!

Seamus

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5562.0

[Greg G.]

I'm going to nominate Doug's green Continental:  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5548.0

[Greg G.]

And although I don't like tooting my own horn, but just to make things interesting, I'm going to through in my NIB AE 880:  http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5558.0;topicseen

[AE_Collector]

Okay, there is one more find that I think just has to be included this month. It is Ray's colored AE find well documented in this thread here on the forum:

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5639.0

It almost doesn't seem fair to the other contestants to include this but on the other hand, this will make everone think real seriously about what would make a "Find" "THEIR Find of the Month". As I mention in the first post of each month, A Find of the Month is what would be "YOUR Find of the Month", it could be rarity, cost of the item or how long it took you to finally find it to add to your collection.

The sobering fact with Ray's find is what it cost him to acquire these dozen or so very rare colored AE models. He didn't find them at the Salvation Army Thrift Store for $10 each or all 12 for $100. They weren't still in a dumpster behind the long since closed AE Plant in Chicago. He bought them from a guy after haggling about price and finally getting the handshake at $6000 for the lot. I checked with Ray to be certain that he was okay with me adding his find here and disclosing his purcahse price.

Here are three pictures for a reminder but check the thread again for the complete story. A group shot, one single Jade Green AE 1A Before and then After. I'm hoping that Ray will add more pictures to the original thread as he cleans them up one by one.

Terry

[Doug Rose]

Terry....doesn't Ray's find belong under Find of a Lifetime!!! There are no challengers to this great haul....Doug

[AE_Collector]

Terry....doesn't Ray's find belong under Find of a Lifetime!!! There are no challengers to this great haul....Doug

I agree, we will have to start a new board...

The combination of all of them being early AE colored sets (unless there were really 2000 of them and Ray threw away all of the black ones!), all different colors and several different models, two of them being Orchid and 9 of them being 31B sets that I don't think anyone had ever seen one in any color other than black, lots of gold and chrome trim ....

Amazing Find.

Terry

[JorgeAmely]

Terry:

What amazes me most of this find is ... where do you point your nose to go find this treasure? That would be a really interesting story. Hopefully Ray will share that with us some day.

[AE_Collector]

I don't know how Ray tracked these down. He has lots of people out there who know that he is into phones I guess so some of these deals come to him. I have always thought that you guys in California were in a good place to find colored AE sets due to all the movie prop houses etc.

Terry

[GG]

It takes rare talent to be able to a) look over a batch like that and recognize how rare some of them are, b) quickly determine approximately how much work it's going to take to restore as many as are restorable, and then c) be willing and able to make a deal for a fair price for the batch. 

Most of us can look at a scroungy phone at a flea market and roughly figure out what it's going to take to restore it and what's a fair price.  Quite a bit more difficult when you pick up a 302 by the handgrip and your fingers feel vents at the back of the handgrip and the seller names a low price for it (speaking of memorable stories!).  But I suspect that if most of us saw a box full of multicolored Monophones like that, we'd be ....just a tad overwhelmed, eh? 

[Kenny C]

Quite a bit more difficult when you pick up a 302 by the handgrip and your fingers feel vents at the back of the handgrip and the seller names a low price for it (speaking of memorable stories!).

Ahh memories

I found a 5-37 that way

[GG]

Aha, Kenny, 'twas you!  That story definitely stuck in my head.  I can identify with that because I've had "holy cow look what I found!" moments before, and "hope we can conclude this transaction before the seller changes his mind!" moments as well.  You had both and a major prize of a find, all at the same time.