Dial Cards Opinions?

[Contempra]

The ideal number card is the one that was on the phone years ago when it was in Telephone Company service, showing the original number.  Sadly, often those are missing or severely degraded or damaged. 

I agree

[markosjal]

I agree

I usually store them behind whatever number card I install.

[texbodemer]

Here are a couple I made--feeding it through a typewriter does wonders. While (425) did not exist until 1997, I suspect that these are what dial cards for the area code would have looked like had the area code existed in 1972 (or so)

[SUnset2]

In the thread below are scans of 206 number cards from the 1970s. If 425 had existed, it would be similar.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=22738.0

[AL_as_needed]

I will leave in any dial card that a phone has on it (if it has one) even though the number is not accurate. I see it as part of the phones original working life. In some cases it's the only clue as to where it served.

My baby blue WE500 has a TTx-xxxx dial card which is specific to Buffalo hospital very early in the 60s as TT was a temporary exchange that was renamed after a year or two.

If no dial card is present I'll use a blank repro, add my number, and age it a bit with some tea or lemon juice to yellow the paper a bit.