Wednesday, April 25, 2018 — Just wanted to write this while I’m thinking of it … I was surprised to be the only bidder for what was listed as an E.F. Johnson straight key mounted on a heavy metal base.
Do you see what I see?
The first thing I saw when I glanced at the main listing photo was not the brass straight key, but what the key was mounted on. The base the key is attached to is none other than the base for an early Go-Devil bug.
I haven’t really taken time to take the bug base and key apart yet, but I’m thinking that the Go-Devil label may still be on the base. The straight key is actually mounted on a metal plate that’s taped to the Go-Devil base. From the side view, it looks like the metal plate isn’t setting flat on the base, which may indicate something underneath the metal plate.
Of course, the base isn’t a complete bug; it would need the keying lever and associated parts to have much value. I bid on it simply because it was something unusual. You don’t see many Go-Devil’s show up on eBay, and I only have two in my collection (well, now I can say “2-1/2” HI HI).
SPEAKING OF EBAY. Anyone who has visited eBay recently has probably seen one of the rarest Vibroplex keys that’s listed — A Vibroplex Vertical. With 10 hours or so left in the listing, the bidding has reached $2,125. I expect the high bid will increase substantially by the time its all over, but that’s just a guess. I won’t be bidding, but I will be watching!
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