— One of only two known DUPLEX / Babcock Pencil Sharpeners patented in 1900. Price $5,800.
Early pencil sharpeners were invented with many different mechanisms which makes them interesting to collect; some of them were successful as the price was right and they functioned well, some did not.
The DUPLEX pencil sharpener invented by Charles Babcock and patented on October 2, 1900, was definitely destined to fail.
While it is not known to me what the price of a DUPLEX was, it is clear that Babcock’s DUPLEX pencil sharpener was awkward, if not impossible, to operate with only two hands!
The instructions of the DUPLEX actually do not even suggests to tighten the chuck while sharpening the pencil, as the two hands of the operator are busy cranking the handle to turn the six knifes and holding the pencil sharpener with the other while pushing a rod to feed the pencil to the knifes!
The insert holding the six rotating knifes was made of pot-metal, which was a novelty casting technology at the time, of which was little know how durable it would be. The only other DUPLEX is already missing one of the six knifes and the entire pot-metal insert is falling apart, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Only three other Sargent & Greenleaf Safe Time Looks like this are known to have survived! Price $2,870.
This is an exceedingly rare Sargent & Greenleaf model 2.4 Safe Time Lock.
This lock has the unusual gravity rollerbolt and was only manufactured for one year. The lock offered here has serial number 496, and has two clock movements and a maximal run-time of 46 hours.
Most Safe Time Locks found do not come with provenance. The one offered here was protecting the funds of the most famous two evangelists of the 19th century, Dwight L. Moody & Ira D. Sankey. Read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— One of five extant Baldwin Arithmometers from 1874. Price $9,400.00.
Frank Baldwin is best known for his work perfecting the Monroe calculators.
Frank S. Baldwin’s adding- subtracting- machine was one of the first ever sold in the United States.
He was 36 years old when he was granted the patent for this machine which could add and subtract numbers between 0 and 999,999. His machine, he called The Arithmometer, was meant to “lessening the labor of adding long columns. The mental strain involved in long continued addition is exceedingly monotonous and fatiguing. Indeed, instances are not wanting where persons employed constantly on this work have become monomaniacs, or partially deranged in consequence,” read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Exceedingly Rare Eberhard Faber International Letter Scale. Price $2,450.
First scale to work based on a parallelogram with a pointer or hand attached thereto and placed radially on the graduated arc or scale or dial; the functioning principle of which hundreds of thousands of small scales were built thereafter.
But that is not all, there is more!
This scale also did away with tables used to look up the price for a certain weight of a letter or other mail, whether it was mailed domestic or international.
It does not sound very smart to design a postal scale with the tariffs for different weights of a letter printed on the enamel face or dial of the scale. But this is just one of the inventions protected under the patent issued to Maurits J. Albracht back in 1881.
Unlike today when the price of a letter seems to change every year, back in the 19th and early 20st century, that was not the case. The price seemed to be a thing immutable as cut in stone, never to change.
For the next 38 years, this notion seemed to hold as the postage did actually never change; the postage for a letter up to half an ounce was two cents, and up to one ounce four cents.
However, in 1917, the rates changed and the price for a letter increased from two cents to three cents. That was not the only change and these scales became obsolete, hence its rarity!
This beautiful, back in 1881 ground breaking scale, stands 14-1/2 inches tall and is the first one to use a parallelogram with adjustable arm pointing to the radially graduated arc or dial to indicate the weight. It does not get any better than this! Hundreds of thousands of letter scales were eventually built on this idea or principal, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— The Only Extant Antique Harrison Sewing Machine, Patented in 1859. Price $5,450.
Unbelievable find; the first sewing machine of James Harrison Jr. of New York, NY, ever to be found! Harrison patented this antique sewing machine on August 9, 1859, and August 30, 1859.
The patents and the patent model in the Smithsonian Institution were the only items know before about James Harrison's invention. Harrison's machine utilizes a barbed or bearded needle which sewed from below the stitch-plate. Unlike the barbed needle on the Boynton sewing machine, the needle on Harrison's machine rotated while moving up and down.
The most ingenious idea Harrision claimed in his patent application for which patent no. 25,013 was issued is a lever operated by the power shaft which is powered by the hand-crank wheel in the back of the machine. This semicircular lever transferres the movement to the front of this unique antique sewing machine to direct the thread to the barbed needle. Harrison called this lever “switch-lever”. What ever the reason, his machine was a failure too as the Boynton. However, his machine seems to be further developed than the Boynton sewing machine.
Harrison claimed as his invention in his patent application: “The switching-lever n, constructed and operated, as herein set forth, for directing the thread to the beard or barb of the needle and preventing the escape of the thread therefrom,” gate.io
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Jordan L. Mott pyramid stove from 1835. Price $1,750.
Exceedingly rare and very early Mott pyramid stove patented on July 21, 1835 by Jordan L. Mott of New York City, NY.
This stove measures only 20 inches in height and is a few ounces short of 40 lbs; early stoves were in general smaller than later stoves. The size of a parlor stove was not determined yet in 1835; this stove used cheap Pennsylvania Anthracite as fuel.
Mott states in his patent in part, “the outside shall be fluted, ribbed, or grooved, so as to expose a larger surface to the motion of the external air, as this mode of forming them, will tend to prevent them being over heated, by its intended radiation.” Increasing the surface also prevented the cast iron from crcaking.
Mott also protected his invention to cast the parts so they interlock. Mott states in his patent that he intends to keep the parts of his stoves in place by, “rims or ledges, and corresponding grooves, or hollows, being cast upon their touching sides to keep them in their places...”
He made other claims in his patent but the two aforementioned ideas, the ribbed surface to increase heat transfer, and the rims or ledges and corresponding grooves are incorporated in the stove offered here for sale, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—First Telephone, the Coffin Set manufct. by Charles Williams, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, for the National Bell Telephone Co. of 1878. Price $9,950.
Exceedingly rare historic Telephone, Bell´s first Telephone manufactured by Charles Williams, the telephone every museum and collector is looking for!
Both, his mother and his wife, were deaf. This profoundly influenced Bell's life.
He intensely researched acoustics, sound and human hearing and speech.
His interest and research on hearing devices eventually culminated in Bell being awarded the first U.S. patent for the telephone on March 7, 1876. The patent had the title, “TELEGRAPHY”. The term telephone was not coined yet and Bell claimed his invention to be, “the method of, and apparatus for, transmitting vocal or other sounds telegraphically, as herein described [...]”.
Bell considered his invention an intrusion on his real work as a scientist and refused to have a telephone in his study.
Two individuals, Thomas A. Watson and Charles Williams Jr., played an important role in Bell's success perfecting and manufacturing the first commercially successful Telephone, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Early, unknown Watson Sewing Machine. Price $6.250.
Earliest Watson sewing machine ever to be found resembling the machine in the drawing of the patent papers to the patent issued to William C. Watson on November 25, 1856.
The casting is so delicate that the machine was prone to be destroyed by breaking; especially the arm moving the needle up and down and the hand-crank wheel. The Watson was only manufactured for a very short period of time as the manufacturer, Joel Chase, was sued by Potter and Wheeler for infringment of the A.B.Wilson patent which was re-issued on 22nd January 1856; this is the reason why any Watson machine is hard to find. The machine sold for only $10 and could have been a big success; read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—The only known extant EVEREADY Lady Liberty, or Statue of Liberty Novelty Light ever to be found! Price $6.800.
Unbelievable find! Most collectors do know about this novelty light as catalogs have been found, proving that this light was actually offered back in the 1890´s.
However, none have been found to this day other then the one offered here.
Bill Utley wrote in his book, considered by many collectors the “bible” for flashlight and novelty light collectors:
“The Birdsall 1896 catalog offered a Statue of Liberty Electric Novelty with the torch illuminated with a bulb powered by a dry cell battery. It was offered with, or without a music box. Conrad Hubert offered a similar novelty in his 1898 Ever Ready catalog. The Statue was continued in Ever Ready catalogs until 1904. Neither Birdsall nor Ever Ready Statues of Liberty have been located to date.” I contacted Bill Utley after finding this Statue of Liberty Novelty Light and asked him if in the 15 years after publishing his book, one would have been found. His answer was, “I´ve never seen one Peter, so you have the only one that I know of. Congratulations!”
Bill Utley.
The Statue of Liberty (or Liberty Enlightening the World) was the brainchild of sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, who at first designed the giant statue as a depiction of a Muslim peasant woman standing guard and greeting ships into Suez harbor. Plans fell through, so Bartholdi amended his design for a new recipient.
The statue, dedicated on October 28, 1886, commemorates the centennial of the United States and was gifted as a gesture of friendship from France to the United States. It was designated as a National Monument in 1924, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Legendary ALTEC LANSING 604 Duplex Speaker With Original ALTEC Enclosure. Price $4,350.
Highly collectible, cherished, and sought after by audio aficionados, the ALTEC LANSING 604 Duplex speaker represents the pinnacle of sound quality for the last 75 years.
If you found this listing, you probably do not need much information, as you already know what this is. These speakers were used in studios, discotheques, movie theaters, churches, and any other place where quality of sound was in demand. Affluent individuals bought the speakers too and often built their own enclosures to save money. This may be one of the reasons why original enclosures or cabinets are so hard to come by. Another reason is the fact that stereo was not available before 1958 and you would typically only need one speaker. The speaker offered here was made around 1947.
Spending hours on the internet, I was able to find only one picture of the same original enclosure.
If you live overseas, to crate this enclosure and bring it to the nearest shipping terminal will cost $450. Best if you live close by and you can pick it up.
While speakers turn up occasionally on eBay, especially the later models, the original 604 is hard to find. At the time I'm writing this, sombody in Australia is offering two original ALTEC Lansing 604 Duplex speakers for $15,999 (without enclosures!)
read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—W. Younger 1847 Washing Machine Patent Model
William Younger of Huntington Tennessee had the unusual idea to use a wheelbarrow as the place for his invention, a washing machine, so the machine could easily be moved around. In 1847, he was among the first to patent a washing machine and his patent was issued on November 6th, and the number 5353 was assigned to his invention. The patent papers describe the function of his washing machine in part as, “what I claim therein as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is - The combination with the driving roller A, of the toothed roller C, fluted roller B, and rubbing board E; the board E, rubbing the clothing, and the rollers B and C, pressing upon and changing the position of the clothing as they are revolved, substantially in the manner and for the purpose herein set forth.”
read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Exceedingly rare and fine quadruple Clepsammia or Hourglass, probably the finest extant example from the 17th century in the world. Price $16,200.
Only scientists and noble men could afford an instrument like this back in the 17th century. Therefore, only few were ever made. Once dropped to the ground, the instrument was destroyed.
Most individuals never heard of a clepsammia from the 17th century, not even of a single double bubble clepsammia. There is nothing to be found on Google; that is how rare these are. I was only able to find records of two other 17th century quadruple clepsammias or hour-glasses. The other two are not complete and have missing parts. The one I'm offering here is in all original complete preservation, and this after 400 years!
Incredible find; Nathaniel Potter the II, son of immigrant Nathaniel Potter who came to the USA in 1628 from England, brought this quadruple Clepsammia somewhen between 1650 and 1700 from one of his trips to Europe back to the United States. A descendant, 13 generations removed, had it in his possession until 2016 when I bought it from him.
Since then I did a lot of research. However, I was only able to find records of two other quadruple early 17th century Clepsammias or Hourglasses through my research outside major museums; this is an incredible rare Hourglass of which most collectors have not even seen pictures of, even advanced collectors. Imagine, this delicate Hourglass with its hand-blown glass spheres was never dropped in 400 years! I also have never seen an image in any of the many books about scientific instruments out there; this is how rare these early 17th century clepsammias or Hourglasses are! This is not just an antique, this is from the 17th century!
The leading collector in the field, famous French writer and intellectual, Jacques Attali, owns one of the other two known extant instruments. His quadrupple Hourglass is pictured in his book, “Mémoire de Sabliers.” read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Exceedingly rare and very ornate early battery Novelty Light, the only one known of its kind! Price $1,450.
Thomas A. Edison worked tirelessly on his incandescent light bulb which he finally perfected in 1879. This remarkable invention did away with open flames and their inherent danger to start all kinds of fires. It was also the first necessary step to replace the portable candlestick or candle light with a battery powered light. First attempts were made with wet-cell batteries but for obvious reasons the liquid acid used in such “portable” lights proved to be impractical. Another necessary invention had to be made to make the portable light practical; the dry-cell battery. French inventor Georges Lionel Leclanche invented the Zinc-Carbon dry cell BATTERY and protected his invention with US Patent no. 64,113 which issued on April 23, 1867.
Several improvements were necessary to get to the point were Zinc-Carbon dry-cell batteries were save to use in portable lights, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Rare Bryant’s Celestial Indicator, pat. Sept. 10, 1872. Price $8,750.00
Bryant’s Celestial Indicator is a unique two-in-one instrument, combining an Armillary Sphere and an Orrery inside the Sphere that shows relative planetary movement in the Solar System.
Henry Bryant of Hartford, Connecticut, invented this beautiful astronomical device for which he was awarded the patent with the number 131,148, on September 10, 1872.
He described in his patent application as the Nature and Objects of his Invention: “My invention is an instrument for use in schools, collages, and the like, for illustrating and explaining various celestial phenomena, such as are commonly the subject of study and investigation in pursuing the study of astronomy.”
With his instrument, phenomena like the changes of seasons, the Earth’s nutation, solar and lunar eclipses, star constellations and their associated zodiac signs, celestial measurements, solstices and their propinquity toequitorial coordinates, i.e. right ascension and declination, precession of the equinoxes, the ecliptic and celestial equator, spring and neap tide, and much more can be explained.
Bryant’s Celestial Indicator is probably the most comprehensive instrument ever invented to explain Astrology.
Somewhat delicate, only very few survived and are highly sought after. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—The Adding Machine of Pierre Fardoil c. 1700. Price $73,500.
Very early machine for adding and subtracting numbers from 0-100 in the shape of an astrolabe. This antique adding machine - signed “Pierre Fardoil à Paris” is hand-crafted in steel and brass, measures 5-1/2 inches in height and is in perfect working condition.There are less than ten other models of calculators known which were invented or made before circa 1700.
Fardoil’s contribution to the development of mechanical calculating devices is the introduction of his mechanism which enables the operator to read the result without counting the dividing marks on a circular scale of a disc shaped antique adding machine. Fardoil achieved this improvement by utilizing a planetary gear turning two round scales underneath two stationary hands ten times over the entire range of the calculator. The two scales show the numbers from 0-9 for additions and for subtractions respectively. This simple use of a planetary gear enabled Fardoil to provide a read-out in the range of 0-100 without the need of a carry-over from 9 to 10, 20, 30, etc.
Unlike the very early calculators by Schickard, Leibniz, Pascal, Grillet, and others, Fardoil's antique calculator was a true “pocket calculator” as it is flat and would fit in any pocket. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Rare Antique Deep Sea Diver´s Boots or Shoes. Price $650.
Rare, heavy weight, diver shoes or boots. Very early and unusual diver´s boots. Unlike most antique diver boots with toe cap nailed to the sole, these boots are cast bronze in one piece with leather shoe inserts. These are heavy; weighing 21 lb a piece! read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— SOLD ITEMS ... SOLD ITEMS ... SOLD ITEMS ... SOLD ITEMS —
ITEMS BELOW ARE SOLD ! ENJOY THE PICTURES AND THE DESCRIPTIONS.....Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Exceedingly rare and important Singer 1856 Turtle-Back Sewing Machine; one of eight machines extant. Sold!
The Turtleback is considered the “Holy Grail” among collectors. Only about 1,500 were sold before Singer bought them back for full price and offered the customer the following model, the Letter A machine.
The Turtleback was to small and did not work well. Concerned about his reputation, Singer bought them back to destroy them, hence they are very hard to find.
World wide are only eight machines know to have survived; the machine offered here is one of them.
Singer was one of the most important manufacturer and the Turtleback is one of the most highly sought after antique sewing machine. It was the first machine manufactured for Domestic use, hence the name, “New Family Sewing Machine”. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— One of only three known extant Frank S. Baldwin Calculators Patented in 1902. Sold!
Frank Stephen Baldwin was in the truest sense an American Inventor; his inventions included a cement mixer, merry go round, a machine to measure lumber, and many other innovations he was holding patents for.
The most seminal work Baldwin is famous for is his work improving the machines we call calculators, adding machines, and computing machines.
Baldwin was granted not less than ten United States Patents for such mechanical marvels of technology.
The most important patent granted to Baldwin was the patent no. 159,244, granted February 2, 1875, with the title, “IMPROVEMENT IN CALCULATING MACHINES.”
Writing this description, a big effort was made into clarifying who the inventor of the so called “pinwheel” is, Odhner or Baldwin. I found a report written by the foremost expert in the filed at the time, L. Leland Locke, which will do away with any doubts of even the most difficult skeptic that Baldwin deserves the credit and not Odhner.
I also found a patent granted to Baldwin which I have never seen mentioned anywhere. It is the patent with the no. 641,065, applied for on August 3, 1899, granted January 9. 1900, with the title, “CALCULATING MACHINE.”
The machine offered here is the first machine with pinwheels Baldwin manufactured and sold in small numbers; read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Seeley’s Portable X-Ray Machine From 1915. Sold!
James E. Seeley was a prolific inventor with an ingenious mind. Many patents were issued to his name.
The portable X-ray machine offered here was manufactured by Vulcan Coil Company located in Los Angeles, California; a company Seeley was one of the incorporators. Seeley protected this machine with three patents which were issued in 1915 and 1916 in his name.
Only very few were ever built, the machine offered here has serial number G209 and powers an early high frequency cold-cathode ion-X-ray-tube with auto-regeneration invented by Henry Lyman Sayen and patented in 1897, just two years after Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen discovered X-rays on November 8 1895. X-rays were also called Röntgen-rays to honor its inventor.
Most early X-ray machines utilized induction coils powered by direct current to create the high tension needed to create X-rays. The Vulcan Coil offered here is powered by 110 Volts alternating current and uses a special coil which was patented by Seeley on October 19, 1915.
Little was known about the danger of X-rays at the time; radiologists taking X-rays of patients did not protect themselves from the harmful radiation and many suffered greatly and died young.
Today X-ray technology is so advanced that natural radiation is not much greater than having taken a diagnostic X-ray from a radiologist or dentist. Read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Exceedingly Rare 1904 Oscar Hedstrom Motor, First Motor to Power an Indian Motorcycle. Sold!
Today, football and basketball games fill mega stadiums throughout the country; at the closing of the 19th century, it was Track Cycling attracting the largest crowds. All kinds of races were held on weekends culminating in endurance events in which cyclists pedaled for six days straight without food or sleep - a feat that made for good theater but often made cyclists go to near death experiences. After New York and Chicago passed laws prohibiting this exhausting race format in 1898, cyclists started racing in pairs that switched off every few hours, maintaining the popular six-day format while giving riders some chance to rest.
Half mile, full mile, and 20 mile races were also held and racers used so called “pacers” to break the wind resistance.
In 1898, the first motorized pacer paced a 20 mile race in Madison Square Garden.
Oscar Hedstrom, a very successfull bicycle racer and bicycle builder took notice and made history by developing a better and lighter motor, to be known as the Hedstrom Engine, which eventually catapulted Indian motorcycles to world fame and iconic success.
The motor or engine offered here has serial number A624 and is, according to my research, the motor with the forth lowest serial number of any Aurora Thor motors ever manufactured, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Exceedingly rare Pocket Battery No.1. Sold!
A pocket device with an open jar containing liquid acid? What a crazy idea....
For the 19th century a truly pocket size machine, just very unpractical as the open jar with the liquid acid had to be emptied after each use to be moved. Manufactured by Whitall Tatum & Co. the Mahogany case of this “Pocket Battery no.1” measures only 4 by 3 by 1-1/2 inches!
Two patents protected this crazy invention of which this example seems to be the only one that survived; read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Earliest Known, and one of a kind, Martian Big 4 Crystal Radio. Sold!
Swiss citizen Charles Louis Marti applied for a patent on December 1st, 1922. It took more than a year till his application for his patent was granted on April 29, 1924. The number of the patent is 1,492,080.
Several companies manufactured crystal sets utilizing Marti’s patent and sold the set under the names Martian Big 4 and Saturn.
Until the discovery of the crystal set or radio offered here, all crystal sets or radios sold with the name Martian Big 4 had a tripod base. The radio offered here is the only one discovered with a round base, and is the first version of the Martian Big 4 crystal set.
Erich E. Brueschke, the expert on Martian radios, studied the subject and wrote an extensive report on the different versions of the Martian Big 4. In his report Brueschke differentiated between seven models - some with captive lever binding posts, others with knurled binding posts and additional differences. He also describes a version with pot metal tripod legs instead of Nickel plated brass legs.
The discovery of the set offered here may necessitate a rethinking of the time line presented by Brueschke, who is undoubtedly the expert on Martian crystal sets. Read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Only Known First-Model-of Williams Can-Opener. Sold!
Very early can-opener which was invented by Charles Monroe Williams and patented on January 8, 1878. On top of the delicate mechanism sits an eagle spreading his wings.
This can-opener with its open frame casting is, as far as I know, the only surviving example of this beautiful machine. There are two knifes, one in the front for large cans; one in the back for smaller cans; read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Only Known Surveying Instrument Signed J.MORSE (18th Century). Sold!
Samuel F. B. Morse, the inventor of the Telegraphic Code, the MORSE-CODE is well known by everybody; his
father, Jedidiah Morse, born in Woodstock Connecticut in 1761 is less know even so he was the first to published an all encompassing work on the United States Geography in Colonial Times in 1784. It was an instant best-seller and earned him the sobriquet of “Father of American Geography.” He was a Yale graduate, minister of Charlestown Massachusetts for thirty years, scholar of Indians, politician, philanthropist, and so much more. As an investor, he bought for instance ten shares issued to finance the first Massachusetts Turnpike in 1791 for $291. Also included is a letter Jedidiah Morse wrote to his wife in 1795, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— The only known sewing machine based on Cook´s Patent of 1863. Sold!
Cook´s machine is the failed attempt to manufacture a running stitch machine which does not need the constant interaction with the machine during sewing. William G. Cook claimed in the patent specification, “Its object is to avoid the necessity of stopping the machine and taking out the work when a certain length has been performed, which is so great an objection to other machines of this class, and render continuous the stitching of a piece of cloth of any length.”
The need to remove the needle from the machine each time the crimping gears had pushed fabric onto the needle to its capacity was the drawback of running-stitch machines. The needle used on running-stitch machines was just an ordinary needle.
Cook´s Patent was an attempt to improve the running stitch machine by eliminating the constant need to remove the needle. Cook devised a complicated mechanism to achieve this. However, his invention created too much friction in its mechanism to render his machine operational.
Cook´s machine was manufactured by the Demorest Manufacturing Company in Williamsport Pennsylvania and sold by, Mme Demorest on 473 Broadway, New York, N.Y.
The machine bears the serial number 85 and is without any doubt the only extant machine of its kind; read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Early, ca 1820, James Watt Model Steam Engine. Sold!
Possibly the finest model of an original period Model from ca 1820, featuring a four column rotative James Watt vertical steam engine of the reciprocating beam type with double-action low-pressure single-cylinder, Watt's “parallel motion” linkage, and Watt's centrifugal speed governor.
If the reader knows of the wereabouts of a finer model anywhere in the world, I would love to hear about it; please leave a comment with the pertinent info for everybody else to see. Please correct me and leave a comment, thanks!
James Watt is considered the father of the industrial revolution and was one of the most important engineers and scientists in history. Some scientists argue that the design of the parallel motion (or double-acting engine) patented by Watt in 1784, should serve as the starting point of the “Anthropocene Epoch” - the unofficial interval of geologic time in which human activity began to substantially alter Earth's surface, atmosphere, and oceans. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Charles Page Reciprocating Electro-Magnetic Engine of 1838. Sold!
At that time (1830's and 1840's) it was still open whether Electromagnetic motors should be rotating or reciprocating machines, i.e. simulate a plunger rod of a steam engine.
While Davenport's motor was resembling a rotating design,
Pages motor was based on the plunger type, resembling a steam egine by which
Page replaced the piston generating the force transmitted to the flywheel by a
beam with four electric magnets.
This working demonstration model was crafted by Daniel Davis Jr., sometime after July 1838 and was mentioned in Benjamin Silliman's American Journal of Science, vol. XXXV, 1838, page 264; the oldest Scientific Journal in the United States, founded in 1818.
It is estimated that less than five of these models have survived and are only to be found in museums or major private collections. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Rare Illuminated Pathe Westminster Cone Speaker & Radio. Sold!
This Pathe radio is exceedingly rare.
However, while not so rare but still difficult to find, the Pathe Westminster cone loudspeaker is stunning.
Pathe manufactured this loudspeaker in two versions; illuminated and not illuminated. This is the illuminated version which has two little light bulbs, a red and a yellow one, which are powered by 110 Volt AC. If operated in a dark room, this speaker is truly a stunning display.
The three dial TRF radio is what a radio in the mid twenties was made of. The radio uses five typical 01A vacuum tubes which are included.
Unlike most of the cone loudspeakers from the mid to late twenties, the Pathe Cathedral loudspeaker is protected by a patent issued on July 2, 1918, with the number 1,271,527.
This patent was issued to M.C. Hopkins for, what he called, a “SOUND REGENERATING MACHINE.” utilizing a “tympanum,”
read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Walker’s Pocket Camera; The First Pocket Camera. Sold!
Walker’s Pocket Camera was the first pocket camera on the market. William H. Walker received a patent on June 6, 1882 for his pocket camera which still used glass dry-plates which were heavy. Even so the camera was very light, the intended use for the camera was unpractical as the glass plates were heavy. Intended for travelers, double holders with dry-plates for 100 photograpahs weighed about 50lb, less than dry-plates for larger plates but still too much to carry around on trips.
The Walker pocket camera had a format of 2¾ by 3¼ still lighter than larger formats like 5 by 7, 6½ by 8½ and 8 by 10 inches.
The Walker Pocket Camera was a failure, hence, there are only five extant.
Walker was mechanically inclined as he was by training a mechanical engineer. He eventually sold his company and teamed up with Eastman. Together they launched the KODAK point-and-shoot camera six years later which brought the sought success. Walker invented the roll-film-back and Eastman the paper film. The KODAK, which sold for $25 in 1888, made the two world famous and wealthy, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—The finest figural Sewing Machine; the “Lady” or “Cora Munro” Sold!
Grace Roger Cooper´s claim that this machine was actually manufactured despite the fact that no machine had ever been found is now confirmed. In her book, former curator of the Textile Division of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, made this claim based on her observation that two different inventors, independent from each other, used this attractive machine as model for their application for a patent for an improved feeding mechanism.
One of the inventors was George Hensel of New York City for which patent 24,737 was issued on July 12, 1859. Since Hensel´s patent application was for an improvement in the feed, there was no need to put a highly decorative head unless such a machine was commercially available. The patent specifications merely state that the head is “ornamented.”
Sidney Parker of Sing Sing, New York, also used a “Lady” or “Cora Munro” head and was issued patent number 24,780, on the same date as the Hensel patent. Parker´s patent also covered an improved feeding mechanism.
The design of this machine is based on a character in James Fenimore Cooper´s Last of the Mohicans, called “Cora Munro,” read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Charles Lane Poor Line of Position Computer. Sold!
This exceedingly rare navigation instrument is called “Line of Position Computer,” and is essentially a mechanical navigator or circular slide rule for determining one's location, either from morning or afternoon sightings for longitude or from the St. Hilaire method of finding the line of position.
Despite the extensive references in the literature, Poor´s Line of Position Computer was not a commercial success and only very
few examples are known to exist, “[t]he scarcity of surviving examples suggests the government and general public had little interest
in the instrument. Indeed, aviators preferred inspection tables over slide rules for navigation,”
The National Museum of American History.
Charles Lane Poor (January 18, 1866 — September 27, 1951) was born in Hackensack, New Jersey, the son of Edward Erie Poor. He graduated from the City College of New York and received a Ph.D. in 1892 from Johns Hopkins University. Poor became an American astronomer and professor of celestial mechanics at Columbia University from 1903 to 1944, when he was named Professor Emeritus. He published several books on astronomy and a monograph disputing the evidence for Einstein´s theory of relativity in the pre-war years before the theory became firmly established. Poor published a series of papers that reflect his lack of understanding for the theory of relativity, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Very Early Leclanche Battery Sold!
French Scientist Georges Lionel Leclanché is considered the inventor of the dry-cell battery, the battery which for decades powered portable electric powered gadgets from flashlights to radios to GPS.
Leclanche's original battery he patented in 1866 and perfected with his second patent of 1867 is probably the most important invention when it comes to batteries. While the battery initially was not suitable for high constant currents, it was cheap to manufacture and lasted a long time.
First it was extensively used for telegraphy, later for telephones and all kinds of bells. Telephone conversations became inaudible if they lasted to long. While the Telephone was not used, the battery would always recover and lasted a long time or till the zinc rod or carbon pile was used up and new electrodes needed to be fitted inside the glass jar.
Georges Leclanché never lived to see the battery market really take off, unfortunately he died of cancer in 1882. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—The only Sextuple Safe-Time-Lock extant. Sold!
Only 13 were ever built, none were believed to be extant till this Yale And Towne Sextuple or model EE Safe-Time-Lock was found! This is the only extant safe-time-lock with a redundancy of five clock movements!
This time-lock is based on Emory Stockwell’s patent with number 363’920, issued on May 31, 1887, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Earliest known Blow Accordion with 10 keys. Sold!
Very early blow accordion, first half of the 19th century, with 10 ivory keys and two registers. The instrument is unsigned, but believed to be American made. Blow accordions are also called Flute Harmonicas. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Rare, KEY to the AIR, Radio outfit. Sold!
There are probably only two of these radios extant; the antenna to go with this radio is probably the only one extant.
Made in Medford Hillside in Massachusetts by Stafford Radio Co., it was meant to be a low cost radio with only one tube and an antenna to be installed indoors for ease of operation. The tuning of the radio-station listened to was obtained by sliding two square sliders, probably not very practical, hence the failure of this radio to make any sales. The inventor and owner of Stafford Radio Co., Stephen F. Stafford made specific claims in his application for his Double Helical Antenna application which were impossible to prove at the time. Despite this, his application was successful and a patent was issued on August 21, 1923.
read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
— Sargent & Greenleaf model 4 Safe Time Lock of 1878. Sold!
Exceedingly rare Safe-Time-Lock manufactured by Sargent & Greenleaf in Rochester NY. On page 196, John Erroll states in his book, “American Genius, Nineteenth-Century Bank Locks and Time Locks,” that Sargent made 365 of the fourty-six-hour Model 4, of which fifteen are thought to remain today.
This early version was introduced in 1878 and has two forty-six-hour movements and had white enamel dials. read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—The only known extant Spencer Electric Co., Potbelly Candlestick Telephone (serial no. 32!) Sold!
Almost impossible to find, a telephone which is unknown to the large and very active community of telephone collectors, the Spencer Potbelly Candlestick Telephone. I could not find a picture or any record in any publication in the field of historic telephony, or on the Internet! The only records I could find are three patents issued to James H. Spencer and Malcolm S. Keyes, both of New York City, N.Y., a description in the Scientific American Supplement issue of January 29, 1898, and a description of the novel transmitter published in the Electrical World and Engineer, Volume 34, page 248.
There are many telphone related patents issued and no actual hardware was ever found; this was true about the US Patents with the numbers 596'834, issued on January 4, 1898, and the consecutive numbers 624'696, and 624'697, both issued on the same day, May 9, 1899, untill this telephone was found to prove that it was actually manufactured. The serial number of 32 is an indication that there where not many made.
This candlestick telephone with the novel form of transmitter patented by Spencer and Keyes was manufactured by the the Spencer Electrical Company, 163 Greenwich Street, New York City, N.Y.
A description of the novel transmitter, published in the Electrical World and Engineer, Volume 34, page 248, states: “The object of the invention is to avoid metallic vibrations, only the intended actual sound being properly transmitted. To accomplish this result, Mr. Spencer employs novel means of supporting the diaphragm,” read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Peerless Whittler Pencil Sharpener, with three rotating knifes. Sold!
This is an exceedingly rare version with the three cutting knifes of the Peerless Pencil Pointer. If you are an experienced collector, you know that the last one of these showed up on eBay two years ago with a buy it now price of $950.00. The machine sold as soon as it was listed.
Whittler applied for a patent and started manufacturing before the patent issued. In short order, he first manufactured a machine with just one rotating knife, then two, and finally three. The patent never issued and Whittler had to seize production, hence, the machine is very scarce, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete
—Rare, and in fine condition, H. H. Scott model LK-150 Stereo HiFi Vacuum Tube Power Amplifier in perfect working order. Sold!
The pinnacle of HiFi design with vacuum tube technology, the legendary Power Amplifier model LK-150 designed by H.H. Scott in the early 1960's. Producing 75 Watts RMS per channel, this amplifier is a beast! This amplifier comes with its original instruction booklet and other original documentation, read more>>
Leave a comment - Edit - Delete