Old NYC BGS signs with letters on the bottom

[Mergingtraffic]

Anybody know what the letters on various NYC BGSs mean?
They seem to be only on the non-reflective button copy types.  Reflective button copy ones and new ones don't seem to have it.

[ARMOURERERIC]

It's a gang tag.  There is a street gang up in the Pelham Parkway area where in order to join, your parents have to ne millionaires.  All the gang sign tags are pre ordered peel off labels like the one shown.

[hotdogPi]

It's a gang tag.  There is a street gang up in the Pelham Parkway area where in order to join, your parents have to ne millionaires.  All the gang sign tags are pre ordered peel off labels like the one shown.

Are you sure? This doesn't make sense.

[Pete from Boston]

It's a gang tag.  There is a street gang up in the Pelham Parkway area where in order to join, your parents have to ne millionaires.  All the gang sign tags are pre ordered peel off labels like the one shown.

Are you sure? This doesn't make sense.

That's their whole MO — strike down sense in all its forms.  The Lords of Nonsense pretty much run that neighborhood.

[Zeffy]

It's a gang tag.  There is a street gang up in the Pelham Parkway area where in order to join, your parents have to ne millionaires.  All the gang sign tags are pre ordered peel off labels like the one shown.

That's a street gang?

[dgolub]

I'm pretty sure I've seen them in places other than the Bronx.  Also, only on older signs.

[hotdogPi]

I'm pretty sure I've seen them in places other than the Bronx.  Also, only on older signs.

Anywhere outside of NYC? Outside of the state of New York?

[hbelkins]

It's a gang tag.  There is a street gang up in the Pelham Parkway area where in order to join, your parents have to ne millionaires.  All the gang sign tags are pre ordered peel off labels like the one shown.

Methinks someone is pulling our leg. 

[Duke87]

You will find codes similar to this on lampposts as well. It seems to be a sort of old NYCDOT inventory system - the letters represent the road it's on, and the number is a unique identifier.

For example:
IBP = InterBorough Parkway
HH = Henry Hudson
and so forth.

"BW" probably stands for "Bronx-Whitestone" (in reference to the bridge, which the road to the south of that interchange is the approach to).

[dgolub]

I'm pretty sure I've seen them in places other than the Bronx.  Also, only on older signs.

Anywhere outside of NYC? Outside of the state of New York?

I don't think so.

[thenetwork]

You will find codes similar to this on lampposts as well. It seems to be a sort of old NYCDOT inventory system - the letters represent the road it's on, and the number is a unique identifier.

For example:
IBP = InterBorough Parkway
HH = Henry Hudson
and so forth.

"BW" probably stands for "Bronx-Whitestone" (in reference to the bridge, which the road to the south of that interchange is the approach to).

And I thought it meant that this is the exit to take to get to the area Buffalo Wild Wings -- aka "BW3" to those old-timers.

[PurdueBill]

I say "BW3" and people have no idea what I'm talking about--and this is where there is one that had "bw-3" signage until not too long ago.

The closest thing outside NYC I can think of is the size and other info in very small print on the front of Massachusetts BGSs...it's possible to capture in a high-enough res picture, but not easily visible as driving by like the NYC ones under discussion.