
1865 Tillotson ‘Arched’ Camelback Telegraph Key
This is a rather rare Tillotson “Arched” Camelback made in 1865 (seen above). I’ve only been able to locate 5 other examples of this key online. One of them is in the Smithsonian Collection: (CLICK HERE). Most of the examples online are incomplete, including the Smithsonian key. This key is complete with all parts and no damage. It truly looks like a barn find that hasn’t been touched in over a century. I plan on leaving it just as it is, with no cleaning or restoration. I had the pleasure of making the first QSO (perhaps in a century???) on this key with Merlin, KD0V on 1/18/2015 right after I received it. And I completed a very nice ragchew with Jim, W5ZIT with this key on 1/24/2015 (Thanks Jim!)
To view more detailed pictures of this rare farm fresh 1865 Tillotson ‘Arched’ Camelback telegraph key, CLICK HERE.