Why My Car Has This Weird Storage Hole

So I was driving around the other day in my old Nissan and I noticed this weird storage compartment. I never knew what it was for. It's a weird size and it's clearly for the driver. So maybe it's for a wallet, but that didn't fit. Maybe my phone? But again, it didn't fit.

But that got me thinking. We use a lot of coins. Maybe it's a coin holder. Well, the center console here already has a coin holder. But even more weird, when you look inside the compartment, the bottom is lined with a felt. So whatever Nissan wanted you to put in here, clearly they wanted protected from scratches.

Then it hit me. The year this car was made was 1999. And if you're a boomer like me, you'll know the most popular phone back then looked like this, which fits perfectly And if you're a boomer like me, you'll know the most popular phone back then looked like this, which fits perfectly into the slot.