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AE 40, 47 & 50 Base Code Observations (2017!)

Started by RotoTech99, January 03, 2017, 12:13:37 PM

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poplar1

#375
Another AE 50 from Nebraska == posssibly sold by Surplus Center and originally used by Lincoln T&T.

L5105 ASL PO6

Chicago 7 Decal #D-780509-B9 (?) D-780504-B9
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

poplar1

AE 50. May have had a hookswitch latch for party line at one time, but now has straight line ringer.

SL5000 DO E[??]

"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

poplar1

L 5100 ASL [??]
"C'est pas une restauration, c'est une rénovation."--François Martin.

AE_Collector

Quote from: poplar1 on March 14, 2017, 10:17:38 PM
AE 50. May have had a hookswitch latch for party line at one time, but now has straight line ringer.

SL5000 DO E[??]

The "0" in "D0" would indicate a SL ringer initially. Maybe it just somehow wound up with that Hook latch plunger rather than the normal one.

Terry

unbeldi

#379
Thanks, I already had both [all three] of them in my database.

SL 5000 D0  EG9
L 5105 ASL PO6     D-780504 B9

The decals on AE50s are pretty scarce.  I don't know whether collectors polished them off because they seem to deteriorate particularly on the curved surface.  This one was actually the best B9 label I have collected.

A 5000 type certainly did not have a hookswitch latch originally.

PS:  the third one is also a B9 label, the patent numbers are just arranged a little differently.

unbeldi

So far I have   B9, B11, B17, B19, and B23 labels for the AE 50s.

AE_Collector

#381
Most Canadian phones didn't have the gold decal on the top like that. I think more were ink stamped inside the cover if at all. It always seemed strange to me to put the sticker in such a visible location like that.

Terry

stub

#382
Terry,
        My AE 2 has 7-29 stamped on it. Metal handset cradle. stub
Kenneth Stubblefield

AE_Collector

Quote from: stub on March 14, 2017, 11:35:13 PM
Terry,
        My AE 2 has 7-29 stamped on it.  stub

Okay, that extends the date range out where they were dating the condensers (at least) and not apparently using two letter codes for the date a bit further and closer to 1932.

We have these dates on condensers in 3 different AE2's:

5-27
7-28
7-29

Terry

unbeldi

#384
As a sidebar, if we ever solve the puzzle of the 3rd group, we can reward ourselves by moving right along to solve Kellogg's system:

EY !

AE_Collector

#385
Looks quite similar! Then we just have to figure which is month and which is year, is it month or two week increments, or maybe one week increments with two different letters per year......never mind, if we figure out AE, I'm retiring!

I wonder how much Kellogg Mike knows?

Terry

unbeldi

Quote from: AE_Collector on March 15, 2017, 11:50:23 AM
Looks quite similar! The new just have to figure which is month and which is year, is it month or two week increments, or maybe one week increments with two different letters per year......never mind, if we figure out AE, I'm retiring!

I wonder how much Kellogg Mike knows?

Terry

In the Kellogg case, I believe the first position is the fast moving code, so the year-type period is second.... at least by my observations, I am not sure I have recorded all of them. Probably not in fact.  I don't even know how many of those handsets I have.

unbeldi

#387
Quote from: AE_Collector on March 13, 2017, 02:18:47 PM
And while I am at it here is my list of PL/PN sets. Notice that there is never a digit in the third (date/line) field, the P at the very beginning identifies them as phones made in Canada so the final digit isn't needed or isn't used to identify an assembly line. And unlike the S added to the front of the code which primarily is on 40xx/50xx phones, I have more P 51xx examples showing that the P was likely used throughout the production time frame. Remember that wwhere there is a third letter in the third field such as the very bottom 5100 phone, that is a color code.

PL   4103   HSLT   OP
PN   4023   E0   NR
PN   4023   K0   ET
PN   4023   K0   ER(?)

PL   5001   K0   
PL   5001   K0   None
PL   5001   K0   JL
PL   5001   K0   None
PL   5001   K0   JS
PL   5001   K0   ??
PL   5100   D20   O
PL   5100   D20T   TN
PL   5100   D30   AN
PL   5100   DSL   O
PL   5100   E20   OGE

Terry, do you have statistical evidence that the P-prefixed codes occur on sets from certain regions most prevalently?
I think at one time you stated that you seemed to have seen them in your area frequently?
This would be BC Telephone Co. ?

By general observation, I think I agree that they were invariably made in Canada, as determined from other markings, but how many have been found in the US from people who sell just estates, not prior collections.

AE_Collector

Many of them in my collection. I record where most phones in my collection came from so I will be able to make a list of the codes on phones in my collection that were acquired locally from other BC Tel employees (highly unlikely to have acquired them anywhere else than from work). Also, frequently Canadian phones have Phillips or AE Canada on the gold decal or stamped elsewhere in the case. I have also seen AE Canada on the sticker on ringers as well.

Terry

unbeldi

#389
My working hypothesis has been that the leading prefix is a customer designation.

To support that claim, I have basically two data points with some degree of specificity.  Your P-codes and G-codes.

I believe that almost every AE phone made for the Navy, that I have seen stampings or diagrams of, have the prefix "G".  I think there are several Navy phones on the forum with GL-51xx.  Also there is an F-type bulkhead wall set that has GL-7025-A0 printed on its diagram.

The prefix "G" also agrees with the stampings on Western Electric 500-type  TA-236 telephone sets, that have the contract number (or whatever it means) "GA-51859" stamped on the bottom.  Attached is a picture of one of mine. This was for the Signal Corp of the Army.

Perhaps "G" comes from "Government"  or "General Services", the GSA was founded in 1949.

The P codes have specificity because they are only found on sets, so it appears, that were made in Ontario, so they would be delivered to a customer in Canada.  If we can confirm that primary region to be B.C., we can perhaps assign the prefix "P" to B.C. Telephone Co.  We already know that not every telephone made in Ontario was labeled "P".

The most prevalent codes other than P and G, appear to be  "S" and  "T".   Finally, there is a variety of other less common ones, even with two-letter combinations, such as "SZ".

We also find many phones that do not have a standard AE order number (40xx, 41xx, 50xx, 51xx, etc), but have a letter and some larger number.  Those seem to invariably start with a letter from the end of the alphabet (Z, Y, X):
Z 22826-1 TU7, for example.
My guess is that such designations represent contract numbers, or invoice numbers, specifically created for larger customers who need special designation on each phone.


GL-7025-AO: