Southern California Telephone Sign

[Sargeguy]

An interesting So Cal sign just sold on the eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/231745524427

The size of the bell and the style of the letters is a little unusual.  I don't have access to my sign books right now, are there any references to this one?

[Fabius]

That's a rare sign. I don't have my sign books handy but I seem to recall it being in Bob Alexander's book.

[Sargeguy]

I just looked through the Alexander Guide and did not find it.  There is a small picture of it on page 437 of Ron Knappen's Payphone book.  This is a very uncommon configuration, and the Bell logo, especially the lettering is odd.  The smaller  bell and the use of larger letters at the beginning of the words in "Bell System" are also used in some Pacific T&T signs of the period

[cihensley@aol.com]

It is just like a Pacific telephone sign I have - same style of lettering and layout.

Chuck

[G-Man]

The reason it is similar to Pacific Telephone signs is because the Southern California Telephone Company was a subsidiary of the Pacific Company. The SoCal name was first used around 1916 and was changed back to Pacific around the late 1940s/early 50's.

[Sargeguy]

If I recall correctly, I believe that the So Cal Tel Co was formed through a merger of The Home Tel Co and Sunset Tel Co., which was a subsidiary of Pacific Tel & Tel.  This happened in the teens sometime, so this sign must date around 1920 give or take two years.  I think that So. Cal Tel. Co faded away as it was absorbed into Pacific Telephone, similar to how the smaller telcos in New England were integrated into NET&T.  You see a lot of those signs have the same pattern as NET&T signs.

[G-Man]

I didn't want to get into a lengthy description but Sunset was Pacific Telephone and in spite what Gary and others posted on the web, it was NOT a merger with the Home Company. Pacific bought their competitors out. Home primarily provided automatic (dial) service, while Pacific provided manual (switchboard) service.

Before the purchase was completed, for the first time in California's (and possibly the nations) history, a ballot initiative was passed by the voters to ensure that Pacific Telephone would not forcefully rip-out the dial sets and replace them with manual instruments. During the CPUC proceedings, Los Angeles politicians ripped Pacific and tried to prevent the completion of the sale. The CPUC ordered the president of Pac Tel to move from San Francisco and to reside in the Los Angeles area. They further stated that if it were in their power, they would have also ordered the president of their parent company, AT&T to move there as well.

They were also ordered to create a separate subsidiary, the  Southern California Telephone Company, which was to be mostly autonomous of Pacific's operations elsewhere in the state.

Interestingly, for many years Pacific continued to offer manual service in their exchange areas and automatic service in the former Home exchanges. The subscribers did have the choice of what type of service they wanted, but the ratio of manual and automatic remained approximately at 50% between the two types of offerings. While I am a proponent of dial service, studies have shown that a good operating manual service was sometimes faster and certainly more personalized.

[Fabius]

so this sign must date around 1920 give or take two years.

The sign has the 1908 Bell which was in use until replaced by the 1921 Bell.

[Sargeguy]

Yes, although I have seen phone bills using the 08 pattern long after 1921.  I think 1921 was the first known use of the logo, probably in print ads, and the logo was likely phased in over time. 

I dug up volume I of Bob Alexander,s book, and sure enough the sign is there on page 12.  It is omitted from the latest edition, volume III

[Jim Stettler]

No need to throw away good stationary. Supposedly the 1921 bell logo started being used in 1921. Any new items at that point would have the new logo. Consumables like paper would of been used up first before ordering more. New signs would have the new logo, old signs would eventually be replaced as need arose or the end- of -useful-life . Busier locations probably changed out first. Some locations may of been changed decades later.

JMO,
Jim

[Sargeguy]

Here are a couple of examples of anachronistic phone bill logos:

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-8_HenxigIF0/VB2Xz6wnSfI/AAAAAAAAbfE/n738MKfyg2M/w412-h545-no/Denmark%2BTelco%2Bb.jpeg

1923 (15 years out of date)

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-yAhy8JHafBg/VJW6e0O6LrI/AAAAAAAAbwc/riU0vyuhhbg/w837-h523-no/3916-1%2B%281%29.jpg.jpeg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ySVYvbbCe5I/VJW7EvJbNeI/AAAAAAAAbws/plSNIFRTZus/w395-h368-no/3916-1%2B%281%29.jpg.jpeg

1945 (23 years out of date)

Porcelain signs were used for long periods after the newer designs were adopted, of course.  How soon after the new logos were introduced did they start  appearing on porcelain signs, and how long the older style signs were still available is unclear.  Researching old sign catalogs and Telco publications might shed some light on it.

[Fabius]

I wonder if the Denmark Telephone Company was using the Local & Long Distance  (L&LD) Bell because they were not officially part of the Bell System (even though controlled by NET&T?) and thus couldn't use any logo with Bell System on it? Somewhat like Bell Telephone of Canada. AT&T had a controlling interest in BTC but it was not part of the Bell System. Which is why BTC kept using the L&LD Bell when the 1908 & 1921 Bell logos, which said Bell System, came into use.