Interesting marking on a finger wheel

[BDM]

Well, maybe not that interesting. But in all the finger wheels I've been through, I've never seen this. I decided to part out one of my junk plastic 302s. I removed the #5 dial, and to my surprise, it had a brass finger wheel...Yehaaa. On the back, I noticed this stamping.

[bingster]

I've seen that mark from time to time, in the same color, on the bottoms of some phones and subsets on ebay.   Sometimes it's in two lines with a rectangle around the words, sometimes it's in one plain line like this.  I have no idea who put them there, or why, though. 

[BDM]

I'm thinking independent. It just doesn't strike me as a Ma Bell marking.

[Dennis Markham]

Brian, I have only seen that once on all the parts I have run through my fingers.  It was stamped in green just like yours.  It was on the metal transmitter cup of an E1 handset.  I don't know but I'll bet it was a Bell System stamp.

[BDM]

Maybe, but the reason I question that is Ma Bell was notorious for using her corp. name. Whether it be W.E. AT&T or Bell. I can't remember Ma Bell ever referring to herself as Tel Co. Now, I could easily be wrong, and please anyone educate me if I am. I know independents have used the generic term Tel Co in the past.

Just a thought, I'm of course far from sure.

[Dennis Markham]

I don't know anything about that.  You're probably right.  That E1 handset was marked Western Electric but  it may have been used by a private Telephone Co.  Here's a photo of the marked part.

[BDM]

Hmmmmmm....This might be a good question to post in the list server. I'm kind of curious.

[Dan/Panther]

Just curious is the phone marked Bell System, or could it be F1-W, and marked by the independent, upon a refurb.?
D/P

[BDM]

No, it's a Ma Bell baby. But, the brass finger wheel isn't stock, so that was changed at some point.