Tuesday, May 24, 2017 — I’m a sucker for a pretty face, that much is true. And probably more so for a pretty bug — and in this case, its the 100th Anniversary Vibroplex Original bug.
Those of you who keep an eye on eBay probably saw the one I picked up recently on eBay. No, I didn’t need another 100th Anniversary Vibroplex bug, but hey, why not? This one is 100A-191, one of the earlier keys in the production run … I’m assuming there was some semblance of sequential order when they were built, though I know this wasn’t the case in every instance with these keys. Betsy at Vibroplex (when it was in Mobile) told me I could request any serial number with my 100th Anniversary key I wanted that had not yet been issued. That may be one reason why there are at least two of those keys produced with identical serial 
numbers (I own one of them).
Well, 100A-191 arrived recently, and I was immediately concerned when I saw the box — one end of the box showed minor damage from interior impacts and had a hole poked through the end of the very thin USPS Priority Mail box … you know, the one that a bug barely fits in. The seller did a great job packing the key in its lengthwise dimension. However, he failed to packed sufficiently on the ends.
As the photo shows, the thumb piece was broken as the key banged that end against whatever the box struck while in transit. And worse, the keying lever is bent for the same reason. So now I’m left to decide what to do — return the key due to the damage; attempt to straighten the keying lever; or ask the seller to pay for all or part of the cost of new keying lever.
It is my thought that when I buy on eBay, the seller’s contract is that it WILL arrive at my home in the same shape it was shipped. Too damn often that’s not been the case with bugs — and this is one of those times.
I checked the cost of a new keying lever assembly, and its $66 — more than I care to pay to repair the damage, but for a collectible key, can I afford NOT to repair the damage?? It just irks the hell out of me that a seller won’t pack these things correctly. For a time I contacted seller who had keys for auction and asked if he or she would make sure no damage would happen by packing it correctly.
I have a couple of near-new Mobile late-model Originals made about the same time as the 100th Anniversary keys were being made. I’m tempted to straight the lever and put it with another Original and put the straight lever with the 100th Anniversary key.
In the meantime I’m going to give it some thought. I don’t want to return the key; if it were any run-of-the-mill bug, I probably would.
73 de KY4Z SK SK ….. dit dit ….