The dial phone never started assigning letters with the number 1. ABC have always been assigned to the number 2. (Here is a link to an image of a phone manufactured in the 1920's) http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/21/Model500Telephone1951.jpg

Hate to say it but when I grew up that is all there was, no 'tone' dialing. I used that very phone when I was young.
---

Also I am not an accountant, but I use a numeric keypad all the time. In fact I have a USB one for my laptop that doesn't have one built in. In fact most people I know will use the number pad rather than the numbers above the keys.