The prices on eBay for the CW keys I usually watch have returned to what seems to be a fairly level state. There currently are some of the in-demand keys listed — a couple of Blue Racers and some early Vibroplex keys — and these are bringing typical collector prices.
An Australian collector has some very rare Australian keys listed, and he's had them listed several weeks. He's sold a few, but his opening prices are in the stratosphere and outside the realm of the casual key buff. The guys who have picked up his keys — with opening bids of $500 to $1,500 — are the truly serious collectors.
The guy has some super rare keys in mint condition. In fact, I've never seen so many of these rare Australian keys listed at once in all my time watching eBay.
He's not getting a great many bids, and he's been dropping the starting bids each week a bit. I e-mailed him because he has a book on the history of Vibroplex listed with an opening bid of $150 — and the book sells for $19.95 direct from Vibroplex. He told me he was looking at markets outside the U.S. who might prefer to buy from him, though I can't imagine a situation where shipping costs would equalize the prices.
—
One fellow's new auction really caught my eye this morning — the subtitle for it is “The most beautiful key ever made” — and I totally agree with the hyperbole.
His listing is for a 1939 McElroy Mac Key DeLuxe with the “Marbelite” finish, and its is absolutely gorgeous. Now yes, I have one in my own collection, but boy howdy, this one is absolutely mint.
I don't know why I like the Mac Keys so much. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I've heard some guys say they were ugly as sin. And side-by-side with a Vibroplex (or other contemporary key), it certainly isn't svelte or streamlined. The McElroy mystique is what attracts me, I guess.
The second photo is a detail of the Mac Key's dot stabilizer, feature that is unique to the DeLuxe version. The idea is the stabilizer will keep contact with the dot contact solid and create a clearner make and break. At the speed I operate, I'm not sure I benefit from the stabilizer. It's allegedly a benefit for higher speed ops. I'll take Mac's word for it.
It's a fun key to use, and if there's ever been a key that doesn't move on your desk, its a Mac Key. The evolution of Mac Keys is interesting because his keys evolved over time to become nearly clones of the Vibroplex Original.
Sure they shared the same operating mechanics, but from what I've read about McElroy the man, he wanted his keys to be notably unique. And his first keys were. From 1934 on until the war, his keys were unique in appearance. He had a quick succession of keys during the war that became more and more clones of Vibroplex. The TAC bugs (Telegraph Apparatus Co. of Chicago) weren't exact replicas of a Vibroplex, but they followed in a way the Vibroplex Champion's move from cast parts to cheapen the cost.
The TAC bug has no cast parts, and because the parts were all easily machined (and uses the same size threads for all the fasteners, and the same diameter steel rod for all the posts), the costs were reduced.
I've never really understood why the TAC bugs have such a wide base. At 4 inches, the base is only 1/2-inch wider than a Vibroplex Original, but it looks a lot larger than that. There's a lot of extra space on the key — in fact, I estimated they could have put the same parts layout on a base between 2-1/2 and 3-inches wide without a problem. Perhaps they were going for the stability factor, or the fact that a big, heavy key is a selling point.
The Mac Key DeLuxe is going to sell high — with 9 days and 10 hours left, the key is already topped $102. I'll be watching it, and my predicting is it will sell in the $375-500 range.
I've seen some very good deals on your average Vibroplex key, with some nice Original DeLuxe models selling well under $100. Some of the plain Jane (but serviceable) keys have sold for under $40. Not a bad deal.
At the moment I've Vibroplexed out. I've vowed not to let another key follow me home unless its very cheap, very unique, or both. Wish me luck, hi!
73 … de KY4Z … sk