RainyBear
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posted on September 15, 2001 10:33:56 PM
Hi all,
I'm hoping someone can help with this small question of mine.
I'm listing an old advertising item and it has the company's street address on it, like so:
185 - So. 8th
BR. 7577
Tacoma
(Numbers changed slightly; address is an example.)
My question is, does anyone know what the BR. stands for? I'm trying to get an approximate date on this piece. Since there's no zip, I'm not sure if "BR" is comparable, or refers to a phone number, or what.
Anybody?  Thanks in advance.
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kathyg
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posted on September 15, 2001 10:37:07 PM
Just a stab at this, but it may actually be the phone number.
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BufPuf
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posted on September 15, 2001 10:39:03 PM
Yep that's what it is: a phone number
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richierich
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posted on September 15, 2001 10:41:59 PM
I thought I read a thread here some time in the past that talked about 4 digit zip codes. I remember it only because a few days after I ran into a 4 digit thing and thought to myself this must be the zip code that I learned about on AW (LOL!).
So you might do a search for that old thread. If I had to guess I think it may have last surfaced here around the end of July. (?) If I can find it I will bump it back to the top for you.
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RainyBear
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posted on September 15, 2001 10:57:07 PM
Uh-oh, conflicting answers... though BufPuf sounds pretty sure. BufPuf, are you positive? And do you know when phone numbers like that were used?
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BufPuf
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posted on September 15, 2001 10:59:24 PM
hello rainybear
during the 50s and 60s
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RainyBear
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posted on September 15, 2001 11:01:25 PM
BufPuf, kathyg and richierich - many thanks!
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richierich
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posted on September 15, 2001 11:03:42 PM
A phone is possible. I had a phone number in Chicago as a child - it was EV4-2201. EV was short for Everglade (only the old people said Everglade 4). Every neighborhood had a different prefix, you could always tell about where a person lived by the prefix of the phone number. Heck, my grandparents still have theres and I can not remember the numbers because I learned it as IN3.
So, yeah I guess in a smaller town then Chicago, they could have only had the BR-7577. I had a friend in Indiana in the 80's that in their town you only dialed 4 numbers to get the in town family you wanted. Heck now in Denver we dial 10 digits to get our neighbor with a different area code then us. A changing world.
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kyriaki
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posted on September 15, 2001 11:08:06 PM
I don't think it's a phone number because there is a digit missing. The format for those types of phone numbers prior to the early 60's was BRx-xxxx or for another example - KE6-5555.
(I know because I was around then) [smile/]
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BufPuf
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posted on September 15, 2001 11:13:08 PM
ky
Though I am pretty sure it is a phone number, I can be wrong
Not all phone numbers had a number after the letters. It may even be earlier than the time period I am thinking.
Edited to add: I was around then too
[ edited by BufPuf on Sep 15, 2001 11:14 PM ]
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smw
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posted on September 16, 2001 02:25:01 AM
I knew being as old as dirt would come in handy someday......
I think it is a telephone number. Some useless telephone number trivia:
4 digit numbers
5826
Addition of exchanges
Broadway 5826 (BR 5826)
Exchanges broken down by areas and the addition of numbers to exchanges
BR-3-5826
Addition of area codes
518-BR-3-5826
Addition of 1 to dial long distance
1-518-BR-3-5826
Exchanges converted to numbers
273-5826
Pay telephone numbers always began with the number 9
Example: If someone gave you the number
BR-3-9826 you knew it was a pay telephone.
Area codes had the number 1 as the second digit.
Example: 518 Mass, (Boston), 213 Calif (Los Angeles), 215 Pennsylvania (Philadelphia).
The digit 0 was not part of an "exchange", (the first 3 numbers).
On another note:
The term zip code was introduced in 1962 and went into effect in August of 1962. This is when the 2 digit postal "zone" number became a 4 digit zip code.
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rgrem
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posted on September 16, 2001 03:15:40 AM
I helped build a post office building in Lowpoint, Ill. in 1960. It may have been the first PO with the zip placed in large letters on the front. It was 6 digits, and while Zips were not officially in use yet, the post master knew they had been assigned and got authorization to place it on the building. I believe it was 61545.
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soothsayer
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posted on September 16, 2001 06:07:40 AM
the most famous BR number in the world is
BR 549...jumior sample's number
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warsawkid
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posted on September 16, 2001 07:25:33 AM
It could be an advertising key code. When a customer writes to a company or orders something to that address, the company knows which publication or advertisement drew the response. Just like today when you see the company address with a department number or some other identifying code. Each publication or ad would have a different code.
Just a thought.
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RainyBear
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posted on September 16, 2001 07:52:00 AM
I've confirmed that this is definitely a phone number (thanks for the great telephone trivia smw!) and I found a very interesting web site with a wealth of information about old telephone exchanges:
http://ourwebhome.com/TENP/TENproject.html
Interesting stuff.
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