Lets clarify something right now, this article does not concern the telephone company in China. But rather china in the telephone company. Huh??

You know cafeteria china (and silver) used in the lunchrooms of your local phone company. In the not to distant past the phone company provided a place for employees to relax and eat a real meal on the premises at a reasonable price. Aside from being convenient to the employee...it assured the management that the employee would return to his appointed station on time (and sober). The time frame we are talking about is the pre-"BSP" era....that isn't Bell System Practice, but "Before Styrofoam, Plastic". Full service cafeterias were being phased out in the mid 60's. Full service translates into real china and silver served by real Bell System employees.

Since few written accounts exist concerning the china, conjecture must be used. Why would the company go to the expense to mark the utensils with the company's name or logo??? I assume the two main reasons for marking the utensils were... #1. Indoctrination: For many years this was a commonly used tactic in the phone industry. #2. Security: If the items weren't marked they'd have been stolen. As you can see by the accompanying photos, that didn't stop some people. Collectors all over the country can be thankful their logic failed in that aspect. 

After the telephone artifact collecting bug got infectious it took me nearly 3 years to locate my first marked knife. Spoons were prolific (forks were semi-prolific). This lead me to believe the scarcity of marked knifes was due to... 1. Employees had limited knowledge of what a knife was used for. 2. The operating company feared an employee would harm himself with one. 3. The operating company feared the employee would harm his supervisor with one. I wonder if there was any correlation between the phone company's and prison's use of the spoon as the only eating utensil?? If there is some correlation, that would prove #3 as the correct answer.

In the entire dining china scene there is very limited knowledge (and interest). The biggest asset in cataloging, classifying, and otherwise "b.s.ing" about china again is conjecture. Telephone company china (and silver) is by no means rare in the infancy of collecting "new items". The first of a kind is always thought to be rare. There is always more to be found and insulator collectors will attest to that. Remember those one of a kind insulators?? Manhattans, Columbias, Castles, and OVG signals???

The public doesn't realize there is a market for telephone company artifacts (china, badges, service pins, etc.). As a prize example, railroad dining car china went through a similar phase...and now it's popping up everywhere in huge quantities. Telephone company china will never approach those large quantities but there will be a considerable amount.

Sugar Bowl with lid, AM TEL & TEL and ASSOCIATED COMPANIES.

Cereal Bowl, SOUTHERN BELL TEL & TEL/AM TEL & TEL CO.

Coffee Mug date coded 1911. MISSOURI & KANSAS TEL & TEL/ AM TEL & TEL.

Teapot dated 1923, WESTERN ELECTRIC on bottom.
Top marked BELL SYSTEM. The black knobs on the 
hand are "insulators"...they keep the handle from getting hot!!

Lets look at the Ohio Bell cafeteria at 121 Huron Street in Toledo. Cafeteria service ran from approximately 1926 to 1960. In that building 900 employees are in two shifts every day (more or less) for 34 years...on Bell System china, cups, saucers, plates, cereal bowls, and etc. Lets go one step farther. Multiply those unknown quantities by much larger cafeterias in Kansas City, New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and etc.

The most common (and diverse) pattern to date is known simply as Bells and Poles. The border of this white china is graced with alternating blue bells and poles. This is undoubtedly Bell System issue although there is no company affiliation. China date codes on this pattern run from 1921 to 1941 (in my collection). O. P. Company in Syracuse was the manufacturer. I have seven of the known 13 piece table setting. This pattern includes in the order of scarcity: large pitcher (scarcest), small pitcher, creamer, sugar bowl, large bowl, butter chip, relish tray, cup, saucer, dinner plate, bread & butter plate, sauce dish, and cereal bowl. The bread & butter plate, sauce dish, and cereal bowl are interchangeable. This pattern is the Hemingray of the china patterns...both in age and diversity. 

Multicolored Operator Bowl with an Insulator Border.

The second most common pattern is the General Telephone System/Associated Telephone Company LTD. Sign collectors recognized that logo on the porcelain pay station sign. It depicts a pole with crossarms and insulators. The beige china has a green dime size logo on the top side. Although it's not as common nor diverse as the Bells/Poles....I'd classify it as the Whitall Tatum of the china field....especially in regards to age. It's not all that old. Unfortunately I don't have a Wauace China Company date code reference.

Aside from the above mentioned patterns the following companies had personalized china: Linwen Telephone and Telegraph Co., Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph Co., American Telephone and Telegraph Co., Missouri and Kansas Telephone and Telegraph Co., Cincinnati and Suburban Telephone Co., Ohio Bell Telephone Co., Southern California Telephone Co., and Bell Telephone Labs. 

That's all I can relate concerning my favorite collectible. Excuse me, I have to set the table for supper..."Dear, can I have a fork tonight?? Spaghetti is awfully hard to eat with just a spoon!!"

Lead crystal water goblet, MICHIGAN BELL TELEPHONE.
I would guess this was used in the executive dining room.

Bell mirror c. 1900 from Hamilton, Ohio. Indicates residence service is less 
than 5 cents a day, business less than 7 cents a day.
&
Miniature Stromberg Carlson paperweight, nickle over brass.