Monday, July 8, 2013 — I’ve been prowling eBay this weekend, though as you might expect, the keys up for auction that I want the most are the ones I can least afford. Below are my assorted musings of a few keys of interest.
AUTOMORSE MADNESS. The main topic of my interest has been this beautiful Aussie-built Automorse. According to what I have found on the web, the key was the first fully automatic key and was invented by Norman Percy Thomas, an Adelaide telegrapher, in 1918. I have wanted one since I first laid my eyes on one, and one was up for auction this weekend on eBay. However, the opening bid was pretty rich — $400 to even get in the auction.
Had my financial conditions been a little better (and the status of our insurance coverage of my wife’s radiation known), I probably would have chased this key. Most of the time I can rationalize a decision like this — particularly for something very collectible — by promising myself to shed one of my spare backups to my spare transceivers. In addition to the random IC-706MkIIG, Kenwood TS-50 or Yaesu FT-817, as a backup rig I have a complete Icom IC-756PROIII station in the attic as well as my IC-746PRO, both low mileage and mint. Trust me, I could sell a few rigs and never miss them!
But that doesn’t generate funds right now (which leads me to wonder if I shouldn’t sell a rig or two now and squirrel away the proceeds for the “next” key I can’t live without … hmmm), so I went into this weekend knowing all I was going to do was watch that beautiful Automorse find a new home.
WHY DID THEY DO THAT? The next key worthy of review is this Lionel J-36 bug. It is just like the bazillion other J-36 bugs Lionel produced; its a solid key, virtually identical to the Vibroplex Lightning Bug. As with most of the Lionel J-36s, the label is missing. Not a huge deal, I have made reproductions that look great for several I have refurbished.
But check out the base — a previous owner “refinished” it. It looks like the owner sanded down the original black crackle finish and spray or hand-painted the base glossy black. To me as a collector, the owner has ruined its value. I have several excellent Lionel J-36s in my collection, but it just irks me to see someone take a nice key and ruin its resale value. The key is listed on eBay now with a Buy It Now price of $85. I consider it worth about half that price, or maybe a tad bit more. The top parts look original and in excellent shape. If the key base had the original finish, and if the key had some or all of the celluloid label, I would consider the BIN price. I’m not knocking the key’s value as a bug — it will likely outlast the next owner and the one after that. The bottom shows the original finish. Whoever buys the key should get the correct J-36 thumb piece … the oval Vibroplex one annoys me.
RODE HARD, PUT UP WET. This poor soldier is just begging to have a place of honor in someone’s collection. Obviously, in its 88 years of service, this Vibroplex Original could tell one hell of a story of the copy its sent. There’s absolutely NO doubt in my mind that this key worked for a living — and worked hard.
I’m not sure what happened to the thumb piece on this key — it looks like it was fashioned from a piece of scrap bakelite. The edges of the base have the paint knocked off, and the nickel plating is worn away on the pivot frame and parts of the damper. The dot contact adjustment screw is bent in an arc, perhaps from being dropped? The main spring appears to be bent, as the lever isn’t straight at rest like it should be. The Buy It Now price is $100, which is too rich for my blood at the moment. If it had a documented back story, I might reconsider that decision, lol!
ONE OF THOSE ‘WTF?’ MOMENTS. This 1944 Vibroplex Original is also up for auction currently on eBay. My initial impression was — based on the condition of the top parts — this key spent most of its life in a case. The chrome-plated top parts appear to be in excellent condition. But on closer inspection, there’s been some modifications to this bug.
Check out the left-side travel adjustment for the keying lever. There’s a contact point mounted on that screw. Huh?? The dash adjustment screw at the front of the key has no contact point at all — could these have been switched? The dot contact screw has a contact point there, so that much looks good. But what about that extra terminal between the two original wire terminals on the base??
I’ve not figured out yet how this key is supposed to operate, but I believe it is supposed to operate an electronic keyer (judging from the extra wire terminal). The extra terminal is connected to a screw that goes through the base and comes up right below the left side lever travel adjustment screw (the one with the contact point that doesn’t belong there). Other under-the-base connections include: The “hot” terminal is connected to dash contact post — and nothing else. The dot contact post is connected via a copper strap to the … circuit closer. Huh??? I’m still a little confused by the wiring arrangement. If the circuit closer is open, the dash contact post is “dead” and disconnected from anything. Other than the finger and thumb piece, and the recent vintage weight, the rest of the key’s parts look good. The Buy It Now price of $125 is a bit steep for this key; the modifications hurt its value in my eyes. I would be tempted to find another correct vintage base and “re-create” the key with the proper connections. The top parts look excellent, and make this a key worth watching (at least). \
That’s my 2 cents … your mileage may vary.
73 es CUL de KY4Z … dit dit …