Antique J.H. Bunnell & Co. Morse code practice (learning) key mounted on its original hardwood base, dating to the late 19th or early 20th century. Unlike the standard telegraph keys used on railroad and commercial telegraph lines, this specialized practice key was designed specifically for learning and practicing Morse code. Its ingenious mechanical design allows the user to practice the rhythm and feel of sending Morse code without being connected to a telegraph circuit or electrical power.
These Bunnell practice keys are encountered far less frequently than the company’s standard operating keys, making them a desirable and increasingly difficult piece to find for serious collectors of early communications equipment.
Manufactured by the legendary J.H. Bunnell & Co., New York, one of America’s premier telegraph equipment makers, this example features solid brass construction with steel hardware, adjustable contact screws, the original return spring, hard rubber finger pieces, and its original hardwood mounting base. It retains a beautiful untouched antique patina earned over well more than a century.