*** The "Find of the YEAR" for 2015 ***

[AE_Collector]

Okay, here we go again...a new record on CRPF. Even a run-off poll has left us at a dead tie for 1st & 2nd place for Find if the YEAR and ironically another tie for 3rd & 4th place. So, we are going with a SECOND RUN-Off POLL. Sorry persido and zapper, it has come down to Harry Smiths Automatic Electric 35 wallphone and wds' American Electric fluted column candlestick.

So tell all your friends, they have to come back and vote one FINAL time for the "Find of the YEAR". 

Immediately below is the results of the first Run-Off poll.

Terry

[Fabius]

January 2015's "Winner":

HarrySmith's painted Green AE 35 for $5 from Roger Conklin's collection at Maitland

Here is the original Find if the Month nomination:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=13371.msg141378#msg141378

HarrySmith posted this about it:

. So, here it is my painted Green AE35. Picked up at Maitland from Roger Conklin's collection for $5.00. I will start a thread once I begin restoration.

I'm not very knowledge on desk and wall sets. Did this AE35 come from the AE factory painted?

[AE_Collector]

No, AE didn't do factory paint the way WE did. There may be some exceptions but they did have inhouse refurbishing services that may have repainted to fix discoloration problems on used phones but not as a way to create new and different marketable colors.

Harry's 35 was just a simple spray painted bakelite phone (I believe). It had been Roger Conklins and both Harry and myself saw it as well as many other treasures belonging to Roger when together we visited Roger in December if 2013. We need Roger back to get "The Rest if the Stiry" behind it.

Terry

[AE_Collector]

We are quickly running out of time to vote for the Find of the YEAR. Voting will end later today so if you haven't voted yet, please do. Remember that this is the THIRD vote (second run-off). Sorry it has taken so long but that is what happens occasionally when there are so many great finds and being a competiotion to determine the winner for all of 2015, we want to get it right!

Voting ends at about 6:30 PM Pacific, 9:30 PM Eastern, 2:30 AM Great Britain, 3:30 AM dsk, 10:30 PM Dave_PEI & 11 PM New Foundland (Inside one for Canadians).

Terry

[HarrySmith]

I'm sure Roger had a story about when & where this phone came from and why it was painted like that. I do not remember the story if he told it because there were so many stories that day! My head was reeling when we left!

[AE_Collector]

I remember Roger pointing out many different phones and telling us about them and how he acquired each of them but as you say, there were SO MANY that I cant begin to remember any of the stories now.

I had sent Roger a couple of things over the years including a NE butt set and phones and he pointed them out to me. Roger had worked for NT for years and I had some 70-90's NT stuff that brought back some memories for him so I sent them to him a few years ago. One was a Northern Telecom phone that BC Telephone had NT design and build for them as a basic rental phone which Roger pointed out to me that it was his "daily driver".

Sure glad we made it there that day, even if the Red Lobster (where Roger was patiently waiting for us to meet him for lunch) threatened to charge him a minimum hourly fee to sit and wait! (We were a little late arriving)

Terry

[AE_Collector]

Time to wrap up the "Find of the YEAR" competition for 2015 so we can turn our attention to 2016.

Congratulations go out to wds for his American Electric Fluted Shaft Candlestick that he bought on eBay for $74.99 plus $12.30 shipping. A remarkable find and a stunning restoration is already underway. wds had a monthly win in 2014 and two monthly wins in 2015 toped off with this Find of the YEAR win for 2015. A very good year indeed!

wds had lots of real good competition. Initially we started with 12 contestants and after a few days of voting we started a run-off poll between the top 4 who were just that much further ahead of the rest of the pack. We had hoped for a clear winner to emerge but that didn't happen so we then started a second run-off poll between just the top two which were Harry Smiths AE 35 and wds' American Electric candlestick. Finally wds emerged as the winner. Congratulations as well to Harry for his excellent find and fantastic restoration and congratulations to everyone who had an entry in this contest. Each one of you had already won the Find of the Month contest at some point in 2015.

Congratulations again Wds, here is the trophy that John "TelePlay" slaved away for months creating in his extensive metal, wood, plastic & electrical work shops located behind the hidden door in the back of the pantry cupboard just off of his kitchen! Thanks John!

And here is the "Find of the Month - Winners List" for all contests to date:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=12971.0

Terry

[wds]

Thank you for that fine trophy!  I think this is the first Find of the Year trophy for a candlestick!   I've had some pretty good finds the last couple of years, but this is my best so far.  Thanks everyone. 

[TelePlay]

Yes, the first stick ever in the history of the Find of the YEAR. Congrats on that accomplishment.

The past 6 winners and their trophies can be found in this gallery:

http://s1000.photobucket.com/user/CRPF/library/Find%20of%20the%20Month/Find%20of%20the%20Year

[HarrySmith]

Congrats Dave! Awesome phone.

[Dennis Markham]

Congratulations Dave!  It was a very nice find and well deserved.  It is nice to get a stick phone on the list of Find of the Year winners.

The runner up wasn't too shabby either.  Harry your phone certainly qualifies for the "bringing back from the dead" category.  It was a beautiful job of restoring that AE50.

~Dennis