TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Bell System Phone Label Code?

Re: Bell System Phone Label Code?

hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
13 Mar 2006 13:54:53 -0800

Allen Newman wrote:

> I've come back to this thread in search of a new theory. I liked the
> M = modular idea but I've saw a new ebay listing with pictures of two
> "hard-wired" WE 1500s that have number cards with the M stamp.

In those days the "number cards" were peel off stickers. It is
entirely possible that a number card was issued by itself to reflect a
new number and pasted on an existed phone.

Customers certainly moved around hard wired phones after divesture.

Also, in those last days I don't think they were as strict on number
card use as in the old days. I saw a great variety of newly installed
number cards--some ANC, some with 2 letters, some with the full
exchange name. It's rare, but there were the rectangular cards (for
Touch Tone phones) that had the full exchange name spelled out;
squeezing DEvonshire in that little space was quite an accomplishment.

In the 1950s sometimes they used a fancy card in which the installer
had little numbers he put into tiny slots on the card face. These
were black background with white numbers.

In the 1960s we got a peel off sticker with our area code which was to
be pasted on the phone dial, overlaying the "wait" as in "wait for
dial tone". If they had to do that today every time an area code
changed they'd go broke just from postage.

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