Ongoing History Daily: Tony Wilson’s FAC-numbered coffin

Factory Records was the Manchester-based indie label that cranked out records from Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and so many more.  From the beginning, they had a reputation for doing things…differently.

Everything the label did–everything they produced–was given a catalogue number starting with the letters FAC.  New Order’s “Blue Monday” 12-inch single was FAC 73.  But this number system wasn’t restricted to just records.  For example, the Hacienda nightclub was FAC 51.  The club’s cat was FAC 191.  A radio commercial was FAC 294.  And when founder Tony Wilson died of a heart attack on August 10, 2007, even his coffin was given a FAC number. 

For the record, it was FAC 501. Perfect.