(Reprinted, with permission, from C.F.I.C. News, newsletter of the Central Florida Insulator Club.)

Telephone signs are fast becoming one of the most sought after "go withs" to add to ones insulator collection. Some of the signs are very hard to even get a picture of, let alone find one for your collection. But the search is half of the fun and when you do find one at a reasonable price it's like finding a threadless. So be on the lookout for these items as there are always a market for these types of items.

I am currently in the process of producing a book on these signs. If anyone would be interested in contributing information to me for this book, I would be grateful for any help you could offer. Just write to me Bob Alexander. Thank you.

This arrow sign is one of the most unusual types, it was found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, in California. Although the sign has a "Bell System" symbol on it I don't think it was put up by a "Bell" company. This seems to be an independent because the bell does not say "Bell System" on it, like all the other signs made for them.

All the following signs are reduced to one quarter of their original size, while the arrow above has double that reduction. They are a few examples of signs that I have been lucky enough to come up with for my collection.

Shown here is a map with all the geographical areas of the different phone companies in the "Bell System" listed. There were signs made with each one of these company names put on them, plus many other independent signs made for companies also located in these areas.

This is the most common sign made for the Bell System. They can be seen on most older buildings that had the cause to use one. These are not very scarce but I have seen them priced very high at flea markets sometimes.

These independent signs were used in Florida as well as other sections of the country. They seem to be very much harder to find than the bell system sign of the same age.

The sign below was found in No. Florida. I am told that they have been found in a small size as well as this larger size.

This sign is not porcelainized. It is the sign that replaced the Peninsular Tel. Co. signs when General Tel. Co. took over in 1958.

The sign here was used on communication buildings that the company owned. They seem to be fairly hard to find although they are not very old.

The sign here dates from 1921 to around 1940. A Southern Bell sign seems to be very scarce and they are very much sought after by collectors in the south. I have only seen four of these so far. I am sure there are others though.

This Peninsular sign is a very scarce item today. Peninsular Telephone Company went out of business in 1958 and their signs were mostly thrown away. Up until a year ago there were almost none on the market and I had never even seen one, but lately a few have turned up and they seem to disappear as fast as they hit the market

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