Editor’s Note: (UPDATED June 22, 2016) This is my growing list of my Vibroplex semi-automatic bugs listed by serial number and approximately year of manufacture. Photos are being added as I update this list; you may click the image to enlarge. More images of these keys are available in the Photo Gallery. Please send any questions or comments to ky4z@arrl.org. Please note that I have created a separate page for the 100th Anniversary Vibroplex keys.
PS. This is NOT an all-inclusive list of keys in my collection. I stopped adding to the list several years ago with the intent of better cataloging them; I’m going to add keys as I find ones that are not already in the list below.
xxx,xxx – unknown year Vibroplex Original. This is a pre-1940 bug with the nickel-plated base. The base is in pretty good shape, with some plating loss on the right front corner. No ID plate, but has holes for the “bug” logo plate.
50,888 – 1913 Vibroplex Original. This key worked some long and hard hours from the looks of her. Features two thumb pieces which were taped up years ago. Features a flat-top damper that is bent slightly at the bottom of the moveable part. The nickel plating is gone totally from the damper and frame. The feet were so fragile two of them shattered in transit here. They were soft rubber but time turned them into hard plastic. This key has the pinned box dash lever, and it shows a great deal of wear. Has the small contact points. The lever stops are old style, I.e., screw heads rather than knurled like later models. The serial number is stamped on the damper. Without question, this is the oldest key I own. The base has apparently been brush painted, but that finish has chips in all corners. I have not cleaned the contacts and used the key but will do so.
56,102 – 1916 Vibroplex Original. Broken paddle, paint peeLing on base. $80.99 OTHER DAMAGE: Damper was bent some point in the past, severely. Bug operates by shifting lever’s neutral position to the right. Damper hits base now. UPDATE: eBay seller says damper wasn’t bent when shipped. Bug was not packed well, was packed in newspaper with thin layer of bubble wrap around the key. It was damaged in shipment, clearly. I considered a PayPal chargeback, but did not. I may see if Bennie can straighten the damper. I may simply replace it with one from a similar period bug if I can find one. UPDATE 2/14/11: Replaced the damper with one off a parts key I bought some time ago. Will still try to straighten damper. Wish me luck on that!
xx,xxx – 1919? Vibroplex Original Standard circa 1919 – japanned base, no id plate – an ATOZ bug??? The base has unique rounded corners, and the ends of the frame where the adjustments are lcoated are also very rounded. UPDATE JULY 30, 2006: This key is NOT a Vibroplex. It is a rather rare “Improved Vibroplex” key, shown by the unique rounded corners on the base, and the slightly different damper arm hinge. No ID tag, probably removed to prevent ID as a counterfeit key! With a vibroplex case, wooden thumb piece. UPDATE SEPT. 30 2007: This key is NOT an IMPROVED VIBROPLEX! It is a Speedoplex No. 2 manufactured by the Leach Relay Co. between 1920-1930. This key is from the earlier run of Speedoplex No. 2s.
64287 – 1917 Vibroplex Original. Dual paddle, arrived with a second paddle made from the wooden lid of a cigar box. This key features black japanned base in good shape; few chips; some carriage-striping still visible. The key features the box hinge-type on the dash lever, and the rectangular nameplate (C2 series used only 1917-18). The key arrived without weights and a lever return spring. Dot contact stop nut is wrong, others appear to be correct.
72,066 – 1919 Vibroplex Original. Dual paddles, no finger piece. Has initials G.R. stamped on damper. All original parts, base has chips but pinstriping mostly intact. The base has a Vibroplex Bug logo decal, the ID tag is the pre-bug one. This key is very dirty, but looks complete and original. The damper is bent, apparently damage from being dropped. Has one weight, original. Needs a good cleaning. Action is good.
76,779 – 1920 Vibroplex Original. Arrived Dec. 10, 2007. Keying lever broken off at main spring; there is no main spring or weight rod. Otherwise the key is complete, with a C3 ID tag. Key needs finger piece replaced (have one in stock). No pinstriping, but you can see where it was. Key has what appears to be lots of coal soot coating it. Nickel plating worn, as is usualy on a key that’s earned a living. Has box hinged dash lever. NOTE: This key has an original “bug logo” decal on the base applied on the base just under the rearward arms of the frame directly under keying lever midline. Most of the decals
were placed closer to the edge of the base. Interesting!
79,292 – 1920 Vibroplex Blue Racer. Arrived Sept. 30, 2005 via UPS. This complete Blue Racer has a black wrinkled finish base. Cloverleaf frame, U-damper, two weights. Uses the old “pinned” dash lever hinge. Has the old-style Vibroplex rectangular label. No big paint chips or divots. Chrome is in good shape. Cleaned contacts with Tarn-X and it plays very well. A nice key and my first Blue Racer!
80,291 – 1920 Vibroplex Junior. Purchased on eBay Feb. 16, 2006. I was the sole bidder! Listing did not say it was a Junior model, so no one bid perhaps.
80,510 – 1920 Vibroplex Junior. Arrived on Aug. 22, 2007. This key was listed on eBay as a “parts” key. I didn’t realize until it arrived that it was a Junior. It arrived missing some parts: finger & thumb piece; damper wheel; upper trunnion lock nut; circuit closers; contact straps; one terminal assembly. I took an old strap and made one for the key. I need to use a wire to run from the terminal up to dash post. Key cost $35 Buy It Now.
83,230 – 1921 Vibroplex Originalmodified base, painted hardware brass and gold. This key arrived with the base coated with rust. Only hints of the original base finish visible. Key was disassembled, and the base de-rusted with Naval Jelly, revealing machined-turned decorative base. Several applications of Naval Jelly required to clean it. Other hardware wasn’t stripped of paint, but simply cleaned. Base was clear coated with a satin finish polyurethane and key reassembled.
84,120 – 1921 Vibroplex Original Deluxe w/case. Nickel-plated base has much fine rust. Needs thumb piece, only has 1 weight.
84,203 – 1921 Vibroplex Original. Arrived Aug 25. This key is original, as-found condition. This key worked for a living, its extremely dirty but complete. Missing one weight. The key has dual paddles, which have years ago were taped with old-time friction tape. The base is in good shape with only minor chips on the front corners. The grime on this key is heavy, even the chrome parts have a thick patina of whatever-the-heck this stuff is. This key looks like its been in an attic for 50 years. I was the winning bid of 15 bids, $47. I can see vestiges of the gold pinstriping beneath the crud. This key might be a good before-and-after key.
xx,xxx – 1921 Vibroplex Original. Nickle-plated base in very good condition. No ID plate; feet and finger pieces original; circuit closer knob non-original. Arrived with no weights; has large unused hole in the base, and has the old style pinned dash lever. Bright parts in good shape, works well, good action. Note: This was the second or third key I purchased on eBay.
84,791 – 1922 Vibroplex Original Standard model. eBay purchase Feb. 11 2006, $125. Key is in great original condition. Black wrinkle base – not a black japanned finish! Appears to be original. Hardware excellent, key doesn’t show heavy wear. Bent lug design.
84902 – 1922 Vibroplex Original Standard. This key has been in the shack for a couple of years, just now documenting it here. This has the standard black japanned base; the gold carriage striping is mostly worn away, though you can see were it was. The key is grimy, needs a good cleaning. The thumb piece has been wrapped with what looks like medical tape that has hardened into a petrified mass of icky blackness. Odd as it might sound, the results have a very nice feel in your hands; obviously the shape of the tape has been molded by many hours of operating. Some chips on the left side of the base. Nameplate in good but dirty condition. Nickle plating is fair, but dirty. Has small contacts.(Feb. 21, 2011)
85,367 – 1922 Vibroplex Junior. eBay purchase, this key has non-original suction cup feet – ugh!
Black japanned base, right rear corner has finish worn away and scratches. Rest not too bad. Damaged in shipment, the top pinion screw bent. Needs 3 feet, 1 weight and screw and one weight screw to replace the rusty screw.
xx,xxx – 1922 Vibroplex Junior. Another key that’s been around the shack a few years. This one appears to be painted blue or green; blue paint is visible under the damper. Vibroplex offered keys with red, blue and green bases during this period; is this one of them? The nameplate was removed from this key, but a Vibroplex logo paper sticker was applied to the base. The sticker is faded and worn, but you can see the original color showing — blue — under one part of the edge that crumbled away. An interesting bit of Vibroplex history as the colored base keys are fairly rare; not many survived this time in the company’s history when Vibroplex bugs mostly worked for a living and the amateur only dreamed of owning one. Needs a good cleaning. (Feb. 2011)
86,356 – 1922 Vibroplex Original Standard. No case, but in good original condition. Needs thumb piece and needs 1 weight. UPDATE June 2, 2007: Disassembled the bug and cleaned the base as best I could. Original black paint in fair shape, only a little pinstriping left. I polished base with Flitz and dremel buffer. Shines nicely now. Also buffed and cleaned top parts. They show lots of wear, the nickel plating is worn off the damper and parts of the frame. Interestingly, both contact screws are brass replacements for the originals, the contacts were soldered to each screw. Uses the small contact points. Both the dot and dash contacts show major wear. This key worked for a living. The owners name L.W. Shuff is on the bottom.
89,879 – 1923 Vibroplex Original Standard. Arrived July 1, 2016 from eBay. Purchased for $50 after seller listed it for $100. Key is in very good original as-found condition, includes Western Union wedge cord. Includes both weights. Lots of dust and old grime, but all-in-all good shape. Base has lost most of the carriage striping, but the paint on the base doesn’t have a great many chips on sides and corners. Judging from the wear on the contacts, this key worked for a living. Plating is fair. The dit contact appears to have been repaired.
91,317 – 1923 Vibroplex Original. Arrived Aug 4, 2008 with broken thumb piece. Replaced with NOS. Has only one weight. The base is spectacular on this key, with only very minor chips in the black jappaned base. Original carriage striping about 70 percent, very unusual very long accents on the base. Nickel-plated parts are dirty but in excellent shape. Was this key boxed? Apparently it was kept safe somewhere for quite some time. The base doesn’t show a lot of wear, so I doubt this one worked for a living. Paddle broken was a replacement, about twice the thickness of original. I have not yet cleaned the contacts, but I’m confident this key will work like a champ. Winning bid was $76. NOTE: The eBay seller noted this key was “in rough shape”, lol! Not!
91,647 – 1924 Vibroplex Original Standard model. This arrived Sat. Aug. 20 by Priority Mail. The key was wrapped in bubble wrap and then packed in a small USPS Priority Mail box with wads of newspaper. ARRGGH! The keying lever was bent in shipping and the finger piece was shattered. I glued it back together so at least it looks original.
95,792 – 1925 Vibroplex Original Standard. Arrived Sept. 8, 2005 by USPS Priority Mail. This bug is extremely worn, must have spent quite a hard life at work. Arrived with only one weight, missing two feet. Black base has some chips and rust areas on corners and edges. NOTE: This bug has WAR etched into the base near the damper. Could this have been the callsign where this bug was put to work? The dot and dash post contacts are totally worn off! The contacts on the pendulum are very worn. One of the adjustment screws looks more like one from a very early model (slotted head). Not an original one, of course.
99,914 – 1927 Vibroplex Original Standard. This bug was purchased on eBay and arrived Saturday, June 18, 2011, by USPS Priority mail. This came came with the original carrying case. The key has a black crackle finish on the base, which was not likely the original finish. There are a few chips on the corners and bottom that reveal a smooth black (presumably) black japanned finish. The key came with one small weight and no circuit closer. The finger piece is either homemade or aftermarket; the key has TWO thumbpieces on it (operator preference, I assume). From the wear on this key, it appears that it worked for a living; the nickle plating is mostly worn off the frame, which indicates the key was handled a lot — though kept in its case. The key is exceptionally devoid of dirt and grime, which shows it didn’t spend a lot of time outside the case. I believe this key may have been refurbed by its owner, or perhaps by Vibroplex. I say Vibroplex because the repaint job looks factory — you don’t get that kind of finish out of a spray can. Why is there no circuit closer? My guess is that this key worked mostly for the radio service, and the circuit closer wasn’t generally needed for radio work. I cleaned the contacts on the key and adjusted it — it’s a fast, tight sending machine again. Nice … and a real steal at $67! It makes you feel very good when you can pick up an 84-year-old key that plays as well as the 4-year-old key sitting next to it on the bench.
100,323 – 1927 Vibroplex Original Standard. Arrived Sept. 10, 2007 by USPS Priority Mail. This bug has had the base painted a whitish/tan color. The original carriage striping is visible under the refinish. I will try to soak the base in hot water to see if the paint will come off the original. I think the tan is enamel, so that may not work. The upper parts are in great shape, the nickel plating excellent. Needs feet and finger/thumb pieces. Has carpet pad glued to bottom of base. The frame is bent back a few degrees, indicated the key fell to the floor at sometime in its past. Has large contacts, and came with a very long cord with a PL-55 plug. Very nice key.
102,722 – 1928 Vibroplex Lightning Bug. Arrived Oct 2, 2007. $54.87 Black japanned base in pretty good condition, some loss on sides near front, minor corner chips. Arrived with large square weight (factory). Original carriage striping visible but mostly worn away. Tag is excellent original. Nickel plating on most upper parts very worn. All three original feet attachment screws are broken off; two feet added to damper mounting screws, one hole drilled into base near circuit closer for rubber foot. Key well used, contacts are small and nearly worn away. Finger knob missing, has two paddles, one appears to be the original, the other is homebrewed. Both have a couple of band-aids wrapped around them. The adjustments have been set in one place for a very very long time. Several screws were stuck. The dash lever yoke has play, and makes contact intermittently. The key plays well other than the dash lever problem. The base should clean up well, the plated parts need cleanup and possibly replating. Included in this auction was a telegraph relay that I’ll likely list on eBay and sell. Note: I have used the relay for demonstration purposes and decided not to sell it.
104,799 – 1930 Vibroplex Lightning Bug, black japanned base, most pinstriping worn off. $61. Aug. 16. Arrived Aug.
105,406 – 1931 Vibroplex Lightning Bug De Luxe. Won on eBay March 18, Buy It Now $55. Base looks like bare metal in pics, like it was not nickel plated but simple bare steel. Base is actually De Luxe and plated, just dirty with some corrosion. Key needs cleaning and a replacement thumb piece. Came with 2 different size factory weights. Very fast. Keying lever slightly bent (probably when the thumb piece broke).
105,674 – 1932 Vibroplex Lightning Bug Standard. Won on eBay Feb. 2008. Arrived Feb. 19 2008. Base appears to be refinished, but similar to original black enamel. The base shows much
scratching and rough surface, poor prep on repainting. You can see chips from original finish. Name engraved on contact strip is “AL LETT.” This bug worked hard for a living. Has original thumb piece; a similar shaped paddle has been added to replace the finger piece. Added paddle is made of wood, painted black. Wooden paddle worn with use, paint worn away, groove formed. A round rubber spacer separates the two paddles, why I don’t have a clue. Op preference?? Parts are in great shape, all plating is very good to excellent for a well-used bug. Has original feet, comes with very worn original Vibroplex brown cloth-covered wedge plug and cable. Fulton Street address on the brass ID label. It looks like this key was painted with all top parts still attached. The plated parts look fine, the key appears to be ready to go. Woo-hoo!
107,899 – 1934 Vibroplex Original Standard. Won on eBay Sept. 27, 2006. This bug arrived Saturday, Oct. 14th in excellent original condition. The nickel plated parts are excellent. The base is very unusual; it is black wrinkle paint, but with the typical gold striping. I’ve heard of these bugs, but never seen one like it. the finish appears to be factory. The bug has a hole in the base that hits the ID tag near the bug; this hole appears to have been used to secure the key to the desk. The imprint of a washer is evident on the base. Overall the key is in great original shape. It needs cleaning; the spring is bent slightly and the vibrating arm arrived without any weights. The feet are non original. The contacts on the vibrating arm and the dot lever have been changed to non-factory ones. This key has seen LOTS of use, but it remains in excellent shape. The thumb piece has substantial wear, showing the shape of the operator’s thumb! Here’s what the seller had to say about this key: Used by my Father @ Western Union Telegraph Co. Lincoln, Nebraska Serial #107899, circa 1934. The address on the plate is 796 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, NY. There are 7 patent numbers listed. Measures 3 1/2” by 6 1/2“. This is a great find for you as a collector. It could use some tender loving care and a bit of cleaning up and maybe worth full restoration. I have used this bug on and off since I became a ham in 1976. My Father was a Western Union operator/employee for 47 years … all in Lincoln, NE just south of “O” on 9th street. He started his career in Loup City, Nebraska at the railroad station in 1925 at the age of 18 and later that same year started with the Western Union in Lincoln and working there until he retired at age 65. Next year would mark his 100th birthday.
109,344 – 1936 Vibroplex Lightning Bug. Black Japanned base looks like a textured finish but on closer inspection looks more like the original finish has crazed. Key is missing terminal nuts. Original nickel plating is in good shape; arrived missing the the thumb piece and with the finger piece on the wrong side of the keying lever. One unusual assembly note about this bug — the top pivot plate is upside down — the threaded boss is facing downward and on the bottom of the top plate. About 70 percent of the original gold carriage striping is visible; the corners and sides show the typical chips from use, though overall, this key doesn’t show the wear and tear earlier bugs typically do. This key came out of Canada via eBay, June 2016.
113,858 – 1939 Vibroplex Champion. Black crackle finish, 796 Fulton Ave. address. Clear non-factory “double paddle” finger piece, looks manufactured. Missing dit return spring, fabricated one that is stiff, but works. This is one of the first Champions made, as the paddle debuted in 1940. Champion is the second most-common Vibroplex model, second only to the Original. Available first only in black, then gray in the 50s. Discontinued in 1980, though available by special order for 10 years longer.
118,683 – 1942 Vibroplex Original Standard. WWII Standard bug with black base. Brass nameplate. Missing the finger and thumb pieces. Has what looks to be an added homebrew brass weight. Has two vibroplex weights, but they look newer. Missing the circuit closer. Chrome parts all in excellent condition. Has a jumper wire connecting the lever to the top pivot point, kind of like the DeLuxe keys use, to ensure electrical continuity. I’m not sure why it was needed, perhaps the rig it was used without needed a better connection. Here’s the eBay write up: This is a Vibroplex telegraph key device serial number 118683. It is very heavy on a cast iron base. The lady from whom I received this said her husband used it during WWII. I don’t know that this is true or not but she said her husband said he had a “feel” for this one and took it with him whenever he was transfered ?? LOL .. sounds like a fish story to me but that’s what she said. UPDATE July 2007: I have since added the correct finger and thumb pieces to complete this key. Very, very nice shape.
119,472 – 1942 Vibroplex Original Standard. WW2 Standard bug. Black wrinkle base. Brass nameplate. Came with a very worn Vibroplex case, handle disintegrated. Key has minor finish wear on right front corner. Circuit closer knob damaged, needs replaced. Came with fabricated plexi thumb piece. Replaced it with correct thumb piece. Original finger piece was intact. Chrome parts are mint. Came with an extra weight. Needs cleaning, but plays ok as is.
120,537 – 1942 Vibroplex Original Standard. WW2 Standard bug, looks like a gray base, very similar to the Battleship Gray, but a different gray. No copper ground wire, so no jeweled pivots. Need 2 weights, 1 triangular thumb piece and one finger piece, both black.
120,893 – 1942 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. Arrived June 11th. This key had the thumb piece broken in transit. No other damage. Base shows minor pitting, the rest of the parts are great. The Deluxe has the red plastic parts and also the copper ground wire between the keying lever and frame. Also has jeweled trunions. Bought it for $69.99. The key has a lot of nicotine on it, but is very nice otherwise. The key needed only a little adjustment, it works quite well.
121,965 – 1942 Vibroplex Blue Racer DeLuxe. Arrived Nov. 26, 2007. Missing the circuit closer knob, red finger piece. I replaced all plastic parts with black ones to complete the key until I get red parts. The chrome on the base has some minor spots of corrosion and a couple of spots of light rust on the edges. Came with the hard-to-find Blue Racer carrying case. Came with a label that reads: “This Morse Code “bug” (sending key) was owned by Robert Hayse and used during the Second World War. Bob Hayse was a Navy Radioman.” The key, lime most Blue Racers, is very, very fast. It cleaned up and adjusted easily. When I tried it to check into the KSN, my homebrew bug tamer jumped off, giving me 40 wpm dits! I wound up using my usual Lightning Bug, which I had in line as well. Key cost me $90.
124,408 – 1943 Vibroplex Original Standard. Black wrinkle base. Arrived Nov. 27, 2006. $51 on eBay. This original key is in near mint condition. It is missing the weights, but that’s all. The base of this key is interesting in that it appears to have “starter” or “guides” holes drilled into the top, marking the location for mounting holes for other Vibroplex bugs that use the same sized base. For example, the base has the mounting holes marked for Lightning Bug and Champion models. It also has the hole marked for the Lightning Bug circuit closer, and mounts for other parts as well. There appear to be a couple of holes marked that don’t correspond exactly to any other Vibroplex key that I’m aware of. The starter holes are a few mm deep, not much more than shallow divots, but they are clearly visible. The holes and all were painted and its clear the key came from the factory like this. The bright parts are mint condition for 63 years old. They look like new! The ID plate appears to be either brass or a perfect
painted one. The red paint on the bug logo is perfect and unfaded.
127,023 – 1944 Vibroplex Original De Luxe. Arrived Jan 2008. WWII Battlehsip Gray base. Overall in VERY GOOD condition. Missing thumb piece and needs lock nut on top pivot. Bought cheap as parts bug, but is nearly complete. Has WWII gray base, but a brass ID tag instead of tin. UPDATE April 28 2008: I have added a thumb piece and locknut to the top pinion screw. The key looks and plays very well. Very fast action. Definitely NOT a parts bug!! Still needs a screw for the thumb piece.
129,338 – 1944 Vibroplex Lightning Bug Standard. July 21, 2007. Black wrinkle base. MINT MINT MINT. This baby is by far one of the most mint Lightning Bugs. It came in the original carrying case, which ‘ explains why it is in such excellent shape. The chrome parts are minty as heck!! I mean they gleam like new. Not a flaw on any of the parts. The key has a couple of trinkets on it that came from the original owner; not sure what they represent. The first is a tiny spur, like you would put on a doll, like a set of spurs but without the wheel. The next is a figure that looks like the head of the god Mercury, glued next to the dash contact post. This key didn’t get a lot of use, the wedge cord is in mint condx and there’s little use evident on the wedge. The carrying case is in good shape, has some wear outside, but fine inside. The case is supposed to take the wear, not the key. Nice!
135,247 = 1944 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. WWII DeLuxe with Battleship Grey base. This key arrived 7/28/07 and is in excellent condition. Judging from the base, this key spent most of its days in a Vibroplex carrying case (you can see where the rails were along the sides of the base). The key was a winning bid of $76 of a seller in Bellevue, Washington. The only real wear it has is a minor chip or two on two corners. The chrome is as perfect as it can be on a WWII bug. Very nice, great action. Jeweled movements. Needs a second weight w/screw and a new screw for the existing weight. I’m very happy with it, though I wish I could have won the case too. This key has the brass ID tag rather than tin. Yeah, I didn’t need another WWII DeLuxe, but it was too nice to pass up. Wish I had a case for it!
136,559 – 1944 Vibroplex Orginal Standard. Black wrinkle base. Black trim, old style paddles and
old style damper and frame. Arrived Sept. 23. MINT condition with the exception of two additional holes for damper. It appears to have been relocated further back to the back edge of base. Why? dunno. The chrome is all mint mint mint. Looks great. The ID plate is NOT tin, but is BRASS. Serial no. is stamped from the front, rather than embossed from the rear. Damper frame bent slightly, or at least it leans back a few degs. June 18 2006 update: Disassembled key, scrubbed base clean, polished bright parts. Key is excellent, but appears to have been dropped on front end. The lower pivot is bent toward the back of the key from being pushed back. Probably need to replace lower pivot, but I adjusted it so it’s reasonably straight up and down.
137,732 – 1945 Vibroplex WWII DeLuxe Blue Racer. This key arrived Sept 18, 2007, as part of an auction of 4 keys. Other 3: right-angle bug, cedar rapids bug, Skillman bug. This key is in great shape, chrome is excellent as is the battleship grey base. Very minty. According to collectors, the WWII DeLuxe Blue Racer is hard to find. Bought the 4 for a total price of about $235. Very pleased with the entire package.
138,532 – 1945 Vibroplex Original w/case. Arrived Dec. 7, 2007, 66th anniversary of Pearl Harbor
(irony). Key is magnificent condition. Has three weights, one missing screw. Has incorrect finger piece (later model smoothed one), but correct thumb piece. Base perfect black wrinkle, chrome perfect too. Case is solid, but missing handle strap. Key has small contacts, doesn’t look worn much. Had to have stayed in the case a lot. Won on ebay for $55. Key has tin ID plate, with some paint loss. Serial number is embossed, not stamped, like the other tin plates. Wish all my keys had cases and were this nice! updated 12/7/07
139,119 – 1945 Vibroplex WWII Deluxe Original w/case. “WWII Deluxe” bug with tin ID plate, battleship grey painted base. Red trim. ID plate paint flaking some. Excellent shape. WITH VIBROPLEX CASE.
139,644 – 1945 Vibroplex Original Standard. $37.75, came from Texas. Black crackle base, modern frame
and damper, posts are old style. Has brass terminal nuts. Missing finger piece, has only
one weight. Did not come with a circuit closer, but doesn’t appear to have had one.
This key has the tin ID tag in fair condition. Base and chrome excellent.
142,292 – 1945 Vibroplex WWII Deluxe Lightning Bug. $41.35. With tin ID tag in good condition, Deluxe “Battleship Gray” model. Arrived Sept. 1, 2005. Key is in excellent condition.
Cleaned with 409, chrome in GREAT shape. Base has virtually no chips. Good action,
contacts were clean. A really dandy key.
142,968 – 1945 Vibroplex WWII Standard. Arrived April 15, 2006. Tin ID tag has lost most paint but not rusted. Black crackle base in excellent shape. Has new style frame and damper. Frame and damper show much pitting and surface roughness. Looks like the original finish wasn’t very good on the key to start with. $52.99 plus shipping. Some disappointment on condition. Key works quite well, good action, very fast. NEEDS: 1 weight screw, finger, thumb pieces, new springs, and one new terminal nut. May buy a matched set of new ones for it. Or not. Came from Northern New Jersey.
UPDATE June 18, 2006: Scrubbed base and cleaned and polish bright parts. Key looks much better than it did. I finally realized that rough frame and damper were manufactured that way and not the result of age. Quality wasn’t as good as today, but that was wartime America. Key has good action, very fast.
142,780 – 1945 Vibroplex Zephyr. $77. Arrived May 2007. This key was a bit deceptive and I was suckered into buying it. The single photo did not show the problems this key had, and the seller did not disclose them. Both of the threaded collars on the top and bottom triangular plates had been dislocated from the plates. They were kinda put back in, wedged above and below the triangular plates. The alignment of the keying lever was so skewed it was nearly dragging on the ID tag! The end of the keying lever didn’t hit the damper wheel, but smacked into the damper frame! Yikes! I disassembled the key, and put the collars back in place with the help of Krazy Glue. The lower trunion was missing, it had been replaced with a brass screw. Ugh! No wonder the thing didn’t work very well! The seller didn’t mention the triangular plate problems, and photographed the key from the rear, apparently hoping to avoid highlighting the problems. This potential sow’s ear is now a purse — I found a spare trunion screw in my key parts box, and the key, while looking worn and a bit used, is now complete and in much better shape than it was when it arrived.
UPDATE July 2007: I bought a Champion key as a donor for parts for this key. The Champion has donated its entire frame and keying lever. The key didn’t work so well, and one of the glued trunnion blocks popped loose. With the new parts, the key plays very, very nicely. The switch shows some corrosion, I need to replace it next.
143,243 – 1945 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. Arrived Dec. 3, 2007. Listed on eBay as “Skanky Vibroplex Deluxe” The base of this key is chrome plated, but it appears they plated the wrong type
base. The base is rough, like the ones they used with painted bases. But it is chrome plated, and looks very rough and textured. The rest of the parts are normal DeLuxe — complete with jeweled bearings, etc. The top pivot is adjustable, unlike later pivots. Got this key for $38. It plays quite well, didn’t need cleaning.
143,321 – 1945 Vibroplex WWII Original DeLuxe. Packed in original shipping box, but missing the label. Box is in bad shape, but still protects bug. This key is in GREAT shape, shows it was well cared for. The key has the original thumb piece, but has a clear paddle sted the finger piece. The battleship grey paint on the base is perfect, the upper parts are immaculate. The chrome looks super. Needs finger piece.
147,543 – 1945 Vibroplex Original Deluxe. This key arrived in May 2007. The key is complete and in very good original shape. Chrome is nice, but shows slight wear. A very nice original DeLuxe key.
151,201 – 1946 Vibroplex Zephyr. $38. Arrived Oct. 8, 2005. Purchased from WB2JKJ, Joe Fairclough, this key was a donation to the Crew at 22. Black crackle base has paint lost on edges, particularly the left side. Missing the circuit closer, though it appears it had one. Finger and thumb pieces replaced with clear plastic homebrewed paddles. Appears the mainspring may have been replaced or repaired; the connection with the lever is a bit loose. Feet are good. Missing weight. Contacts good, not worn bad at all, just dirty. Chrome on top of frame is pitted. Needs base painted. Action very very fast for a Zephyr. I cleaned the contacts, works fine.
156,612 – 1947 Vibroplex Champion. Blace base, may have been refinished to black as it is not a crackle finish; feet non-original; extra terminal on base to separate the dot and dash terminals for iambic keying(?); missing connector strap on bottom between dot and dash posts; some paint loss on edges; ID plate says “PATENTED”; excellent working condition; bright parts excellent shape.
158,049 – 1048 Vibroplex Original Standard. Black base, no crackle finish. This key is as mint as any I have seen. What a jewel! All the bright parts look new. Functions as smooth as new. I suspect this one was restored, and what a nice key it is. Purchased May 5 for $69.86. This key needs nothing but to be used. Has one large weight, new style frame and new style posts. No chips, scratches or pits. Beautiful!
171,086 – 1951 Vibroplex Original Presentation. $55.54. Needs cleaning up. Arrived Sept. 1, 2005. Gold coming off base plate; needs terminal nuts; dot spring screw broken off; dot contact post screw broken off, post is good. Needs decorative jewel too. Arrived with a non-stock weight pressed on pendulum shaft. The mainspring is adjustable; a previous owner has ground down the main spring for more flex, I guess. A fixer-upper, but fairly complete for the price. Even with all new parts the total close is still much less than a new Presentation ($299.95).
UPDATE. Fred at my brother’s work extracted the broken dot spring screw for me. I’m forever grateful, too.
171,092 – 1951 Vibroplex Presentation. Arrived Aug. 22nd. Key is complete, in good condition. Has
2 McElroy weights and one Vibroplex weight that is missing screw. Needs one more weight. Top plate is fair. Shows some wear, but no major rub-throughs. Paid about $88. The key works well.
172,118 – 1951 Vibroplex Lightning Bug Standard. Near-mint condition with case. Arrived June 2011 from eBay, $75. This is one of the cleanest Lightning Bugs I own. Previous owner used a hacksaw to open locked case, damaging the case and cutting the lock. I can repair the lock and the case, I believe. This key is in amazing condition! Seller did a great job packing it.
173,644 – 1951 Vibroplex Original Deluxe. Excellent condition, needs weight screw on one weight.
Needs jewel (I think I have one). Needs dash contact spring, needs one weight screw.
178,586 – 1952 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. Arrived Aug. 2, 2007. $58. Key is in very excellent
condition. Missing the jewel, has non-original weight. The main spring has been ground down to slow it down, and it shows. A very very very nice key. Works perfectly.
179,082 – 1952 Vibroplex Lightning Bug DeLuxe. Arrived July 2008. $51. Base has minor pitting, but not bad. Cleaned up nicely. Operates very well! I love the Lightning Bug, and the deluxe versions especially. Acres of chrome. This is the second one on my desk. Missing the top jewel, I have one just haven’t installed it yet.
188,289 – 1955 Vibroplex Champion. This key was acquired off eBay in early May 2011. It was very, very minty, with perfect chrome and near-perfect gray crackle base. Then it was shipped. In transit the key — packed with layers of newspaper — bounced around so much it shattered the thumb piece and bent the threads on the finger knob. The pendulum also was bent slightly from the repeated hits. The key was double-boxed, but not packed well inside either box. Still in contact with the seller who’s getting pissy with me and is now demanding I return it so he fix it himself. I wanted the guy to pay for the replacement finger and thumb pieces, about $20.
190,575 – 1955 Vibroplex Original Standard. Grey base in good shape, with Vibroplex carrying case, also in good shape, wedge cord. Has masking tape on the bottom with the name and callsign “L.M. Nielsen (or Nielsep), W2SFC.” Nice key.
191,214 – 1955 Vibroplex Lightning Bug De Luxe. Arrived Friday, Dec. 15, 2006, the day the Novice band died. Near mint condition key! All chrome excellent, a few very minor pits in the base near the frame. Barely noticeable. Still has the model factory stamped on the bottom in clear bright letters. Key shows very little wear. What a honey of a bug, too. Action is fast, added a solder bug tamer to slow it down. Contacts are dirty. This key is certainly a keeper. Needs nothing — but to be put on the air, hi hi!
192,493 – 1955 Vibroplex Original. Arrived Monday, Dec. 17, 2007. Chrome parts of key are mint. The base shows chips on corners and edges. Grey wrinkle base, standard 1950s color. Only damage was the thumb piece was broken. I didn’t have an oval one but had 4 triangular ones and put one of those on it. The key needed adjusting and tightening screws, but played perfectly. Used it to check in to the KYN, worked fine. Excellent feel for a non-jeweled movement bug too. Not a flashy looker, but man she sure does play. I’ll order an oval paddle later on for it. I’ll use it tonight for KSN too. This is a plain Jane key, but its sure a competent operator. Got it cheap, but I dont’ know why the hell I couldn’t pass up another 1950s Vibroplex. I’ve got six grey-based Vibroplex Originals, its not like I need more of them. But still a fantastic value for $40, which was why I went on and bid on the sucker. July 20, 2011: The key has sit on a shelf since 2008, and collected lots of dust. I disassembled the key and cleaned it up. Still plays very well. The nameplate was dingy and required polishing. I don’t like the bright brass look of it now, but it looked like crap before, so anything is an improvement.
UPDATE 2/14/11: The triangular paddle was broken when the key was knocked to the floor; I replaced the paddle with the correct oval one. I cleaned the contacts on the bug and adjusted it; it plays very well.
199,012 – 1957 Vibroplex Blue Racer De Luxe. Won on eBay March 16, 2006. Not identified as Blue Racer in listing; very dark photo didn’t reveal what it was. Bought it for $50!! Base has typical pitting. Only non-original part is the thumb piece, which is a translucent flourescent orange! Unusual! Looks to be a well-crafted replacement piece. Never seen one like it.
200,707 – 1957 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. Arrived April 5, 2007. Near perfect bug was damaged due to inadequate packing. He shipped it in an original Vibroplex carton without the interior cardboard to brace it. He repacked the Vibroplex box, but the key rattled around inside the Vibroplex box, beating the crap out of it. When my daughter handed it to me and it rattled, that was NOT a good sign. DAMAGE: The dash lever spring screw is bent at a 45 degree angle (typical transit damage for a poorly packed key). The keying lever was forcibly knocked loose from the jeweled pivots, damaging at least the bottom one. One weight was knocked loose. The dash contact scarred up the thumb piece. Not extreme damage, just aggravating. This key was a $75 Buy It Now, with a “fair” photo. The base of the key has more rust than I would like, it appears maybe salt air or water has prompted some rust. Not bad, but bad enough. On the plus side, the rest of the hardware is excellent, the key came with a mint condition green cloth cord. I guess its worth the price. I wrote the seller and bitched him out about the damage. I’m keeping the key, and may give him positive feedback regardless. I was late with payment. I must remember this is a 50 year old key!
202,622 – 1958 Vibroplex Original Standard. BIN for $60 on Feb. 25, 2006. Key appears to be complete, with two small weights. Base showing wear, minor rust. UPDATE. Key has been sitting on my computer desk since its purchase. Key is complete and solid. Needs nothing other than paint. UPDATE June 2007. Key still sitting around my desk. It’s in very good shape, and I plan to keep the base gray and just scrub it clean. A nice original key.
204,035 – 1958 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe, entered May 2011. This key has been here a while but never documented until now. The top parts are all in very good condition. The base has lots of surface rust under the chrome (see additional photos in the photo gallery). The key has hex screws in place of the correct thumbscrews for the weights; otherwise its stock. The key plays very, very well, and is one of the “10-foot Vibroplex keys” … it looks great from 10-feet away. I’ve considered a new chrome base from Vibroplex, but the cost of the base is probably more than I paid for the entire key.
206,529 – 1958 Vibroplex Original Standard. Complete key. The chrome on the frame has pitting and is rough looking. The key plays quite well regardless. UPDATE Nov. 4, 2007: The dash lever had a “catch” when you moved it to the left, so I diassembled the entire lever arm. The thing was dirty, but couldn’t find why the “catch.” I cleaned the pieces and polished them. The key’s other chrome looks rough, but it plays well. Good candidate for modification since the frame and damper ain’t much to look at.
207,925 – 1958 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. This key arrived in excellent condition, though minus the finger than thumb pieces. It has an original cord and wedge.
2xx,xxx – 1958 Vibroplex Original De Luxe. Arrived from eBay seller in April. MASSIVE corrosion and rust on the base! Top parts spattered with other corrosion, gunk. This key came from Fla., and apparently it had been underwater. The holes in the base and screw threads still had salt residue. UPDATE 9/3: The top parts cleaned up pretty nicely, the base is trash. It needs a new base or rechrome the old one. Decided instead to strip the base and paint it to match the 100th Anniversary paint scheme (black base with gold pinstriping). Right now the base is with Fred McNeil, one of the ID tag pins is rusted tight. When it returns I will finish stripping it and paint it. Plan now to use basecoat/clearcoat, putting gold stripes between BC and CC. I have the Beugler striper for the carriage striping, will have to freehand the florets. After this test one I have several other bases I plan to restore.
220,013 – 1961 Vibroplex Original Deluxe. Sept. 6, 2005. Chrome on base is lightly pitted. Missing the jewel on top of frame. Jeweled movement is smooth, all parts original. 2 weights. Key has the factory model stamped on the bottom. All bright parts are excellent.
228,762 – 1962 Vibroplex Champion. July 12, 2007. Gray base Champion arrived missing the dash contact post. I bought it for parts. The main frame and keying lever went to the 1945 Zephyr. The ID plate will go on the Vibroplex Lightning Bug I bought and will refinish the refinished base in the old pre 1940 style. If I find a pre-1940 tag I’ll replace it, otherwise its going as is for now. This key is officially been parted out. The rest of the good parts are in my key parts box. RIP one Champion (sniff). UPDATE. The plate is now mounted on a pre-1940 Lightning Bug. The Champion base is very good shape, sits naked and bare.
238,404 – 1964 Vibroplex Vibrokeyer Standard. This key has the sienna painted crinkle base. It came complete and in good shape. Among Vibroplex keys, the Vibrokeyer appears to be more of the “red-headed stepchild”: It’s design was simply to take the trademark “bug” key lever action and adapt it to an electronic keyer. Guys had been homebrewing this sort of modification, including sawing the base in half! Vibroplex saw the need and created this key. It works just fine, but I have a hard time using a single-lever keyer. I cut my teeth on iambics, and if I’m going to use the keying style required for a bug, I’m going to use a bug. I see no real improvement, other than the keyer is certainly easier to master than a bug. I doubt the company sells very many Vibrokeyers. I would like a De Luxe one, but I’ve resisted paying the near $100 price tag they fetch on eBay. I suggest that most sales of the higher-end Vibrokeyers are to collectors.
251,004 -1967 Vibroplex Original Standard. Arrived Sept. 1. $62. The key was listed on eBay with the pendulum sitting uninstalled. It appeared complete, but I wasn’t sure until it arrived. The key looks like new! It is mounted on a 3/8-inch lead base, and it’s heavy as hell. The gray crackle base is perfect, the bright parts are perfect. The key looks just out-of-the-box new. The feet are white, and I don’t think they are stock. I’ll change those. This key has no circuit closer, which appears to be a factory item, judging from the fact that the circuit closer hole does not go through the base, but has a chrome screw there obviously as a decorative item. The ID plate looks unmolested and clean. All the parts look barely used. I couldn’t ask for a more mint condition key, though I wish this were a rarer bug. I need to find a good box for it, I don’t want it to get all dusty!
255,532 – 1968 Vibroplex Champion. Arrived October 2006. This key was a parts key, was sold on eBay for parts after the seller previous shipped it poorly packaged. This key was returned to the seller due to shipping damage. The pendulum was broken at the spring, and the seller was selling it in parts. I inquired with Vibroplex about replacing the main apring, but in the interim found someone selling a keying arm from a Vibroplex Lightning Bug. I won that auction and the arm — being identical to the Champion — fit perfectly. The finger piece on the replacement arm was a pre-1940 arm, and I replaced that one with the original 1968 one. The finger piece was broken, but i Crazy Glued the original back
together and reinstalled it on the replacement lever. The key looks good as new! This Champion is in mint condition, the base and rest of the pars are perfect. As of Nov 2006, it operates perfectly.
262,315 – 1969 Vibroplex Original De Luxe. Arrived November 2006. This key was a Buy It Now on eBay. I was cruising the recently uploaded auctions and found it listed, the mint condition key WITH a mint condition Vibroplex carrying case — all for a price of $100!! The key only needs the jewel replaced, and the case shows minor wear for 35-plus years. The key did not get much use at all. This one isn’t ancient, but it’s a keeper.
264,366 – 1970 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. Purchased July 2011, $51 on eBay, from the collection of K5VT. The key auction photos made it look dingy and worn; the key was simply dusty; chrome on all parts is in superb condition. Key is missing weights. Took a shot in the dark, expecting worse but received a true jewel of a key. I took some Flitz and cleaned a small portion of the base and it cleaned up to look like new. Going to have to clean this girl up!
270,467 – 1973 Vibroplex Champion. Gray crackle base; rounded fingerpieces original;
near minit condition, excellent action.
379,145 – 1976 Vibroplex Lightning Bug DeLuxe. Arrived Dec. 13, 2007. This key arrived in pieces, looking quite the derelict. I assembled and adjusted it and amazing it works VERY well! The base has some corrosion (rust) but not too bad. The rest of the key is simply dirty and could use polishing. Didn’t need to clean the contacts! Finger piece was broken, I replaced it with one in stock. NOTE: This key has the older style brass ID tag, but the tag is NOT riveted. The tag is glued on. This key proves my theory wrong — I assumed the gluing on of ID tags began in Maine. It did not — it happened before the company was sold. At some point in Maine, the tags were changed to a different type of brass material; this key’s ID tag is just like the post WWII tags, real brass with stamped serial no. I was the sole bidder on this auction, snagged this Ugly Duckling for $50.
389,535 – 1979 Vibroplex Original DeLuxe. This Maine-era bug has the 833 Broadway N.Y. nameplate. Purchased in February 2016 on a whim, sniped it at the last moment worth the money. Needed some serious cleaning up, reaffixed the nameplate, which in this era, they were glued on. Reglued it with contact cement after cleaning the old glue off both the base and the nameplate.
04,259 – 1980 Vibroplex Iambic Standard. Gray crackle base; rivted ID tag. Excellent condition key. Using it on my PROIII.
08,381 – 1995 Vibroplex Brass Racer. This was an eBay “right place at the right time” buy. The seller had it listed with a Buy It Now price of $50. The key is near mint, the only wear being the loss of the protective clear coat on a couple of spots on the frame. The rest of the key is in good shape. A few scratches mar the wood base, but hey, the price was right. I’ve seen worse Brass Racers sell for more. I’m tickled with it!
62,602 – 1990 Vibroplex Original De Luxe. I’ve owned this nice Maine-era bug since mid-2005. It is MINT and perfect in every way. It does not have a circuit closer. Very fast action.
66,030 – 1991 Vibroplex Original De Luxe. Arrived on April 12, 2006 via eBay, won for $53.25. Photos made the key base look very worn and corroded, not mint. On inspection, key is absolutely mint!! Base cleans up perfect. This is a Maine key, and the ID plate is shifted toward the terminals instead of lined up under the main spring. I’ll ask Mitch how to move it and reattach it. I think the Maine keys with the glued-on ID plates are some of the least desirable … or maybe I just got lucky getting a MINT CONDITION key so cheap. NOTES: The key came with black finger, thumb pieces. I’ll have to buy the correct red ones. This key also does NOT have a circuit closer, the base is not even drilled for one. Some Standard bases were drilled for circuit closer but one was not installed. Vibroplex instead put a screw in the hole. Perhaps at that time the circuit closer was an option??
107,710 – 2000s Vibroplex Original Standard. I can’t pinpoint when I purchased this key, but I recall buying this one and another Alabama-made key of about the same vintage about 2012-14. The key has an aftermarket weight rod extension (secured by set screws) that was inexpensive and effective. The weight isn’t in the photo. The key is dusty, but in as-new condition.