That kind of bugged me too, but I had an old AOL address that I had quit using and used that to sign up. Which is kind of funny, since AOL has been a free service for several years. I gather that the original thinking re the paid email addies was to ensure that the user is legit and not a bot or spam artist. A vintage-related forum isn't going to be on the cutting edge
What would you like to know about reshaping the crown of your Stetson?