How to Collect Morse Keys
Samuel Morse started to tinker with a new system of communication in the 1830s, and with the help of such people as Alfred Vail, developed a way of using electronic signals to send messages. Vail helped Morse develop a switch to open and close the system, and he likened it to a "key" used to close a door. One of his earliest types of key, using a lever and fulcrum, is still the basis for Morse keys today, and the keys from throughout the nearly two centuries of Morse history are still popular among collectors.
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Instructions
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Check out a Morse key photo gallery on specialty websites such as telegraphoffice.com or mtechnologies.com. In most cases, pictures of keys are accompanied by short synopses with information such as make, model number and year. Decide which keys appeal to you to start a collection (see References).
Read references such as "American Telegraph Instrument Makers, 1837-1900" by Roger W. Reinke or "Domestic Manufacturers of Semi-Automatic Keys" by Neal McEwen (see Resources). These extensive sources, from collectors and telegraph history experts, list hundreds of types of keys along with background information about them.
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Get creative with ways to make known that you are seeking old Morse keys, since collector Neal McEwen estimates that worldwide, there are less than 200 collectors of these treasures. McEwen recommends visiting flea markets, antique stores, auctions and even estate sales. He says he has had success from simply wearing a button that says, "I collect old keys and bugs. Do you have one?"
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Document your collection carefully. Collector Lynn Burlingame suggests creating a database for your collection, or at the very least, listing each key on a separate index card with details including your purchase price, where you found it, and any history of the key. He also recommends making fair sales, since a reputation as a cheat will spread quickly through the intimate key-collecting community.
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Learn to trade with other collectors rather than just buying keys. Most collectors keep at least a mental list of which keys they need, and if you have any of them, the collectors may offer trades that could increase the number of keys in your collection. Lynn Burlingame suggests amassing a stock of duplicate keys to use as trade material when you come across a key that may be on your own wish list.
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