HOW many types of pins are there? That was one of the many important issues which taxed the minds and patience of the people manning the Norwich Union telephone helpline as the flotation deadline approached.

The share application form told members to attach their cheque payment to the form "with a pin". But nothing is ever that simple. What sort of a pin did the Norwich Union want? Would it be a straight pin or a safety pin and if a member used a staple would their application be deemed invalid?

There were other interesting queries for the teleoperators who were inundated with calls. One caller wanted to know would the Norwich Union process his application for shares, but wait a few weeks before cashing his cheque!

Another had simply changed his mind. He had sent back his application form, but then decided he should have applied for more shares so he wanted his original application back. The operator politely told him that it would simply be impossible to rescue his white envelope from the many thousands lodged at Hume House.