Today I cashed in some hidden “round tuits” I found in the shack, tackling a couple of projects I had neglected for … well, a year at least!
I can't find when I bought this 1968 Vibroplex Original (standard grey finish), but I'm thinking it's been at least 18 months. The key is one of those “please take me home” bargains that I find so hard to resist. If a CW key could have puppy dog eyes, this one was it.
Actually it wasn't ugly, but it looked like it had been severely modified — an act that sends Serious Collectors scurrying away in horror.
The key looked fine, really — but it had this heavy, thick lead base that was attached to the original bug. There were no feet on the bug, just this oversized 1/2-inch lead plate. Suffice it to say that no one wanted to take a chance paying hard earned dough for a fairly common key that might be mangled (further reducing its value to anyone).
I was willing to gamble, and it was a risk worth taking.
It turns out the lead plate was bolted to the bottom using the same attachment points where the original feet were placed. Some shallow plastic spacers had replaced the feet. To keep the lead plate from sliding on the desk, the owner had glued a chamois-type cloth to cover the bottom surface. With this massive hunk of lead and the chamois, the key didn't budge no matter how much you manhandled it.
The key has been little more than a paperweight here in the shack since my initial inspection. I was going to have to destroy the nicely done chamois to get to the attachment points, plus I didn't have feet to put on the key.
This afternoon I removed the key from its lead plate, revealing a bottom that's a mint as anything I've seen. The original stamp “Original Standard” is bright and fresh on the bottom. The key is really mint — not a scratch or chip on it. The key was quickly transformed from Ugly Duckling to Graceful Swan in about 20 minutes of work that was long overdue.
The key's action is excellent too. It only took a few moments to get the adjustments where I wanted them. Wow, such a nice key! I've got to find a safe place for this one, even though its a rather common gray-base Original, it's the best looking one I've got.
The gray-based keys were manufactured throughout the late 50s through the 1990s. They're the most common color base for the Original model, and as such, they're the model I recommend to anyone looking to buy a used bug on eBay.
The recent spike in prices changes things a bit, but if you shop right, you can pick up a similar key, particularly the late 60s, early 70s keys, in the $50-75 range. That's not bad for a quality key. I just checked the recently completed auctions, and the average price is a bit higher right now, though I'm not sure why. Two nearly identical grey-base keys — one from the late 1950s, the other from the early 1990s — both sold for more than $100. I don't know if I understand what's fueling the interest in Vibroplex bugs, but the demand has certainly pushed auction prices up.
When demand cools, I suspect the prices will drop again. I can't see paying $100 for a run-of-the-mill standard key. A DeLuxe or Presentation key with a case, now that's a different story!
SPEAKING OF EBAY … I recently successfully sniped a 1942 Vibroplex Original that's in good shape and comes with the Vibroplex carrying case. The case often brings as much alone as some of the more common keys, so I was very happy to get the key at a bargain price; the case wasn't mentioned in the header of the listing, and I nearly overlooked it myself. I could put the case on eBay and make my money back I'm spending on the key.
That's a trend I'm seeing these days too … just like the guys who “part out” ham rigs and sell the parts individually — like filters, etc. — key sellers are also starting to sell the cases separately. I guess that's the American way — maximize the profit. I know that guys on the traders nets used to do it too, but it didn't seem so obvious. People would leave the options in the rig as a selling point.
I'm hoping to find someone selling a damaged pre-1946 bug in the near future. I have the WWII Original DeLuxe that needs some parts; I'll either buy them or buy a parts key to take them from. I've had excellent luck finding parts I need on eBay. I've purchased several derelict bargain bugs and in time found the parts I needed to restore the keys to working order.
IN THE MAIL TODAY. I received additional rubber feet I ordered (I have other keys that could use new feet), and more importantly, I received the round brass stock I ordered. I'm need to make some weights for a couple of my bugs, and being the cheapskate I am, I would rather make them myself than pay Vibroplex $25 or $30 for the weights and screws. Brass is an easy metal to work, and drilling and tapping the holes won't be a big problem.
ON THE DESK. Right now my 1939 Mac Key is still my favored key. The sideswiper is an interesting diversion that might return for KSN the next time I check in. There's a BARTUG RTTY contest this weekend, plus a CW test, and 40 CW was a busy place earlier today. I expect 80 to be busy tonight. I have the HW-16 warmed up and ready for the KSN, if the condition permit. Might try the sideswiper again.
That's all for now … 73 es CUL … de KY4Z sk … dit dit