Dialing in to the 1200 baud MODEM pool was both uneconomical and didn't even confer any great benefits. The 900 baud pool was only like a buck a minute and the 1200 baud pool was $4 per minute!
That said, I might actually have to get off your lawn. My first was a 900 baud cradle. Hayes, I think? Maybe Digital? That was a whole lot of years ago.