Vintage Zippo tape measure

[BigThicketBoy]

Found this in some of my grandpa's stuff. Check out that phone number.


It must be a poor life that achieves freedom from fear.

[flywise]

That is cool as hell

[TxSon1836]

thats really cool! any idea on how old it is? i know you said it was your grandpas but didnt know if you had idea of when he got it. that phone number is really interesting

[Tony Pic]

Phone numbers looked like this in the middle of the 20th century because of telephone exchanges. These were the hubs through which an area's calls would be routed. Phone subscribers were given a unique five-digit number within their service area. These would be preceded by two digits—which were identified by letters—that denoted the telephone exchange you were connected to. (Before the 1950s, some cities used three letters and four numbers, while others had two letters and three numbers. The two letter, five number format—or "2L-5N"—was eventually standardized throughout the country).
Because these telephone exchanges could only facilitate around 10,000 subscribers, many large cities had multiple hubs.

Was there an area where Gramps was from that started with "OR"?

[RDT]

I believe the or stood for orchard . Don't know the area but all exchange names weren't
names of places . Capital ca was down town . There was national na , don't know what
area that was . An interesting fact was there was no q on the rotary phones . That tape was probably from the 50s .

[BigThicketBoy]

They lived in Orange and in t the Heights in Houston.
He might have work at the Marine Lumber Co where the tape was from.


It must be a poor life that achieves freedom from fear.

[SaltwaterSlick]

Yep, that was the Orchard exchange. My brother's number was an Oxford exchange and a sister lived in the Jackson exchange. Our number in Lufkin was a Neptune exchange... Will never forget that number... NE4-7817... These exchanges were still used until we went to 10 digit dialing in the '70's I think.

[Das71198]

That is so cool.

[Pineywoods]

Really cool

[double bogey]

Our number was BR-9 and 4 numbers.
That was the Broadway 9 interchange, the north end of Mesquite, the other side of highway 80 was 285 or AT5.
And all of Dallas was 214 area code, Ft Worth was 817.

Seems like east Texas was 214 also. When my parents moved to the Canton area in 1974, all they could get was a party line.

[sailor]

1962----Circle 6-2588...………………
Now, where the hell, are my keys...……………...

[xman59]

i remember those well,, ours started with tw2,,

[pure lefty]

I have a zippo lighter that’s never been used from Cargill’ in Houston, neat finds.

[Japeatr]

I collect Zippo lighters and this is super cool to me

[Aggie Dad]

GL3 (Glendale3) Galena Park North Shore Mid 60’s