New place to find phone parts: high school?

[stopthemachine]

Hi all,

Long time, no talk.  I've been SWAMPED between work and school, but I knew that many of you would find this story interested. 

I've been busy because, for the past few months (since around the start of March), I was a long-term substitute at a local high school (where I've already done three long-term positions and an interim position, to give some background).  I am an English teacher, and it was the last day (no students--they were done the week before) so, like many other teachers, I was cleaning up my classroom. 

I had to head down to a classroom down at the other end of the hallway, past the science classrooms, to find out about a student's grade.  On my way back, I noticed that a few science teachers had put out trashbags and boxes full of "trash" and "junk" that they didn't need anymore.  I'm a curious person by nature, and I noticed a pair of headphones sticking out of the one box.  I decided to investigate because the headphones were not your typical headphones; they appeared to be a set you would see someone wearing during WW2.  Upon further investigation, I was FLOORED.  What did I find?  Telephone apparutus!  A few receivers (one complete and the other two nearly complete) and a faceplate/transmitter with mouthpiece attached! 

I could NOT believe it!  Needless to say, they are now in my possession, but I was like a kid in a candy store!  I hope to post pix soon.  As soon as I brought them home, I began comparing the receivers to my candlestick phones, and I believe I've narrowed them down: one receiver is an AE, one appears to be an SC, but I am still unsure of this because normally, SC had company info at the top of their uniquely-shaped receivers and this one has none.  The transmitter faceplate and mouthpiece and inner workings have an "AEco" stamped inside so that's a no-brainer. 

Asking the science teacher later, he said that they had been "bumping around in drawers for years."  In fact, the AE receiver looks unused-- no spade tipped ends but the straight connectors (switchboard use perhaps?). 

The funny thing is that the high school itself is from the late-60s so I'm guessing these were used (or anticipated to be used) for some sound experiments in a science class/lab during the time before the high school was built and another building acted as the district's high school, but little if anything came of this. 

Pix to come soon, I hope!  Quite a find! 

Dan

[Sargeguy]

Ask them where they keep the Teletrainer