AE40 Dial Plate

[Telephone Mike]

I'm restoring an AE40 that has a dial plate that is just numbers only and is in mint condition. I don't recall ever seeing one without the letters on a 40 and I do have a z/operator plate also in mint condition.  My question is which one to use.   

Thanks for looking,

Mike

[poplar1]

Either is correct, but personally I would keep the one that was originally on the phone. Only large cities had letters. Other places had 2 (PBXs), 3, 4, or 5 digits.

[dsk]

I guess I have seen pictures of an AE40 Ship telephone with numbers only. The reason for remembering: We only use "numbers only" here in Norway.


dsk

[wds]

That's a very nice looking phone.  I always liked the numbers only dial plates better, so I would leave it just the way it is.

[Telephone Mike]

Thanks for all the input guys.  I like the no letters one also.  These phones are so classic anyway, simple elegance.

Mike

[AE40FAN]

I wouldn't change a thing...nice find!

[paul-f]

It's time to get a second AE40 to display your other NOS dial plate! 

[jsowers]

I agree about keeping it original. It looks great.

I grew up using these older AE phones and small cities and towns had alphanumeric 2L5N phone numbers too. We had REgent in our very small unincorporated (still today) town and the neighboring city had CHestnut even in the 1950s. We used AE40s and AE50s mostly and didn't get an AE80 until sometime in the 1970s. All phones in my small town had letters and numbers on the dial. My 1963 directory of our area shows some numbers with RE and CH and others with all numbers.