Anyone know what this strange WE color code is?

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Today, I was taking a modularized (all late seventies plastics) 1953 500 apart, and I noticed a strange color code on the bottom of the dial. The complete stamping reads:

7A
2-53
1(or it could be I)

I know that this isn't black, because the code is -3, and the fact that this dial has the #7 style open-center finger wheel bracket. Anyone know what color this phone once was?

[poplar1]

Today, I was taking a modularized (all late seventies plastics) 1953 500 apart, and I noticed a strange color code on the bottom of the dial. The complete stamping reads:

7A
2-53
1(or it could be I)

I know that this isn't black, because the code is -3, and the fact that this dial has the #7 style open-center finger wheel bracket. Anyone know what color this phone once was?

All 7As were black so no color code was needed.

[WEBellSystemChristian]

Today, I was taking a modularized (all late seventies plastics) 1953 500 apart, and I noticed a strange color code on the bottom of the dial. The complete stamping reads:

7A
2-53
1(or it could be I)

I know that this isn't black, because the code is -3, and the fact that this dial has the #7 style open-center finger wheel bracket. Anyone know what color this phone once was?

All 7As were black so no color code was needed.

Oh, ok. The early finger wheel bracket threw me off. Thanks!

[poplar1]

There were no color 500s other than black until 1953, and by then, the 7A dial was manufacture discontinued.

I'm surprised that either a 7A dial or an open center finger wheel survived through the 70s remanufacturing process.

Some 7C dials were recoded 7D when they were refurbished with a black number plate at the repair shop, but most of the time, especially in later years, they didn't bother to change the color code. So you can still find a dial marked 7C-52 (dark gray), but with a beige number plate, on a rebuilt beige phone.

[Dennis Markham]

I have run into 7A dials from time to time.  I have a few on Black 500's as poplar1 suggests.  I often wondered about the "I" that was printed on the back below the 7A and date.

[Babybearjs]

the "I" stands for the yearly quarter.... (first, second, third...) it give you a general timeframe when the dial was made.....

[Scotophor]

I don't believe the "I" stands for the quarter in this instance. Why include the quarter, when the date code already includes the month? Or does the "2" stand for something else?

[poplar1]

WE Dials made from 1931-1943 do have Roman numerals I, II, III or IV to indicate the quarter, followed by a 2-digit number for the year. 1930 dials and 1944-1985 dials have the month and year.

Since this dial is dated 2-53, it wouldn't be necessary to also put 1st quarter, so the 1 must mean something else.