One of my associates told me this one For those that remember the pay phones that did not have the metal covered wires (from handset to phone), they used to have plastic / rubber coated ones. If you took a pin and poked through the coating, it would hit the wires. Once it hit the wires, you would take the handset and touch anything metal. This would get you a dial tone...no money needed. Phone companies figured this out and covered the wires with a metal cover.
