Cardboard dial plate

[winkydink]

I purchased this phone on ebay (a 302) and noticed when I got it that the dial was a little squishy (it didn't return all the way back to rest position after it is dialed).  I also noticed that the dial plate was yellowed (strange).

Well I took it apart and found out that someone (home made ?) had made a dial plate out of cardboard, replacing the orginal plate.

Take a look at this.

No idea if this was homemade or Western Electric done but kind of interesting !

[GG]

Definitely home-made.  Notice how the letters are not evenly aligned in a manner that differs from one "hole" to another.  Also notice what appears to be light pencil tracing of the outline of the zero hole. 

Pretty good job considering the technology most people had access too back then (maybe an ink-stamp or something). 

What I'd do with that is save it in a ziplock bag with label on the bag saying which phone it came from, and buy a replacement number plate to fit to the phone. 

[Adam]

What I'd do with that is save it in a ziplock bag with label on the bag saying which phone it came from, and buy a replacement number plate to fit to the phone. 

I wholeheartedly agree with this.  I don't collect phones of this era, but even though this appears "home-made", you might find out down the road that it was made by some phone reconditioner somewhere, and others have been found in the field that way, making it, in my collector's mind, something legitimate to have been saved for posterity.

[Sargeguy]

It would make a nice coaster

[winkydink]

It would make a nice coaster

If we had a "like" button, I would like that comment !

[Doug Rose]

Phone pholks have a "Leich" button....Doug

[jsowers]

There are Bell System number and letter stamping kits that produce numbers and letters that look very similar to these. The kits had a small rubber number or letter on the end of a wooden stick. I have the number set and have used them to stamp number cards.

It could have been a make-do done by a thrifty phone repairman who didn't have the right part on the van. I'd keep it for posterity inside the phone in a bag, but replace it with the correct part, as others have suggested.

[Gary]

What I find more interesting than the numbers/letters is the fact of how perfect the center hole and rectangular channel was cut out.  Almost as if it was done by a customized hole punch designed just for this purpose.

[stopthemachine]

Phone pholks have a "Leich" button....Doug

Haha!  Very clever, Doug!

We should have T-shirts made that say, "I LEICH phone collecting."  If someone gets it, you know they are ONE OF US.  Haha.