I've been notably absent from the shack the last few days. It's been interesting to watch eBay the last few days, how the listings have dropped off now that Christmas has arrived. I have somethings I would like to list, but I'm going to wait a few weeks.
Prices on Vibroplex keys seems to be on the increase the last couple of weeks. Some keys that were unremarkable and common are bringing higher-than-usual prices. A 1954 Vibroplex Champion — an average condition, run-of-the-mill key by anyone's standards — sold recently for just over $100. A 1993 Vibroplex Original — a Maine-manufactured key — had a high bid of $81 and it did not meet the minimum. That's high for a Maine key, particularly since the stuck-on ID tag had been reapplied to the BOTTOM of the key. Yikes!
A 1948 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe with a terribly pitted base brought a winning bid of $86. That's still not a bad price for a key, but if you decide to replace the base it will sit you back an additional $70.
It took a little time, but I finally have the early Speed-X key running to my satisfaction. I used some extra Vibroplex adjustment screws on it, and they look fine. I barely had the key back together and some initial tests looked promising. I could have used it on the KSN, but I opted to use one of my standard bugs instead. I'll try it out in the future.
Speaking of bugs, on Christmas Eve my mint condition Telegraph Apparatus Co. “Hole-In-The-Wall” bug arrived. It was well packed and everything it appeared to be.
TAC bugs don't show up that often on eBay, and I jumped at a chance to pick up a nice one. I have a couple of these in varying condition, most with some damage or wear.
Compared to a Vibroplex bug, the base is 1/2-inch wider. The bug uses no cast parts, so it probably was less expensive to build than the Original. All of the key's posts or round parts (including the stubs that attach to the pivot frame) are all the same size chrome-plated brass stock. Its all machined steel and brass, and the lever uses stamped steel for part of the lever.
The key has a longer main spring than a Vibroplex, and fo whatever reason, it usually takes more work to use one. I'm sure that if you compare any two of the keys you'll find a wide range of actions.
—
In the hustle and bustle of eBay shopping, I scored a really nice find — a mint condition in-the-box Mon-Key electronic key. The Mon-Key was the first electronic keyer released for the amateur market. This one comes complete with the original box, manual, letter from the factory and the invoice. It looks like it was never used, though that's not likely. It came from an estate, so chance are it was used and then put away after a period of time. I hope the UPS gorillas have met their quota of damaged boxes for the month, I would hate to have this neat addition to the shack wind up destroyed in shipment. Perish the thought!
73 … de KY4Z …. dit dit …