A package was on the front porch from FedEx when I got home from work. It arrived by way of Eric Fay in Garden Grove, CA. This phone was in the Village Road Pharmacy in Long Beach California decades ago. On the bottom of the phone, the phone number was listed as HA 5-6434. I assume they have the same number they’ve always had because they are now listed as (562) 425-6434 (the “H” is the 4 and the “A” is the 2).

At one point, the phone then belonged to (213) 390-4942. Google had no record of the phone number at all, so I called it. A recording of an operator said “lines are temporarily busy, please try again later.” This might explain why. It shows the 213 area code as a tiny section of Los Angeles. It used to be one of California’s 3 area codes. Now, it’s a tiny island in a sea of change.

The phone number could be in one of several Southern California area codes now. The fact that neither the surrounding 323 nor 213 works makes me think the phone number could still be used in one of the remaining area codes. As the new area codes were formed over the years, the number could have been excluded as an option in the newer area code overlays for the once larger 213 area.

On Saturday, I visited Mr. Hayes.

I listen to local AM station 1450 WGNS every weekday morning. It broadcasts from of the square in Murfreesboro and has ever since 1947. The radio I listen to it on is about as old - a Panasonic AM radio I bought in a yard sale for about 50 cents.

Yesterday, as I was brushing my teeth, Swap ‘n Shop came on. It’s been on the air ever since 1947. People call in looking to buy or sell all kinds of stuff. So I called in. I was quickly put on air and announced that I was looking to buy old rotary phones. Bart asked what I wanted those for. It’s the same question antique dealers asked me last weekend. Apparently, people want to throw these things into history’s pile of garbage. Rather than get into it on the radio, I just told Bart and those I knew were likely listening that I just liked the look and feel of them.

The phone rang today with a couple of calls from some very nice elderly folk who heard me on the radio. One of the calls was very promising, and the price sounds just right. Saturday, I’m heading to Rockvale to check out what he’s got.

We spent about 4 hours driving around to about 8 area Good Wills and Salvation Army stores Saturday looking for rotary phones. Vince found this 1972 rotary phone at the Good Will in Murfreesboro for $15. Needless to say, none of the other stores had one. I suspect the people that sort what comes in toss them in the trash unless they look like this one.

At the Smyrna Good Will, some guy wandering the isles of the store came up to me in a loud, but friendly voice, “Remember who loves you!” Startled, I asked him who. I had an idea where this was going, and sure enough he pointed his finger in the air and said matter of factly, “Jesus!” Even weirder, just as I left the store, the woman behind the counter said my full name. I was somewhat taken aback, looked her way, and saw it was an old acquaintance from MTSU.

Today, I plugged the rotary phone up to our VoIP and was surprised to find it worked perfectly. I still need to have longer conversations to see if the amount of power from the VoIP box is good enough.

Next weekend, we’re heading to the Tennessee Fair Grounds for the monthly flea market where I’ve seen several rotary phones for sale. I’m not sure how much they were, so tonight I tried bidding for a few on eBay. Some jerk out bid me on a very nice French-style rotary phone that was way under priced. I eventually got a batch of four rotary phones for about $20 + shipping. It was an amazing deal, and I’m not so sure I’ll be able to beat that deal next weekend, but we’ll see.