Telegraph & Messaging Related Artifacts

ARTIFACT: This is a World War II United States Army Signal Corps Type J-38 telegraph key with two wooden-base sounders. The J-38 was a Morse Code training key made for the Army by several companies. This particular one was manufactured by Signal Electric...

ARTIFACT: Great old 1920's Western Union Telegraph Forms oak and celluloid countertop display. The black and gold sign on the holder advises you: DON'T WRITE - TELEGRAPH! The holder has a vertical groove running down the center of the interior of each...

ARTIFACT: This is a Western Union agent hat badge (number 4) from the 1920s-1930s. The badge is in a geometric shape painted in yellow and blue and is slightly concave. Western Union was born in 1856, although it had been operating for five years already...

ARTIFACT: This is an old Postal Telegraph Company messenger hat badge by Robbins Company. The badge is shield-shaped and reads POSTAL TELEGRAPH 10. The Postal Telegraph Company began in the 1880s and merged with one of its competitors, Western Union, in...

ARTIFACT: This is a great old circa 1890's Western Union Telegraph Company brass padlock with a lovely patina! Western Union was born in 1856, although it had been operating for five years already under the name New York and Mississippi Valley Printing...

ARTIFACT: This is a small circa 1890s messenger uniform button for the Postal Telegraph Company. The outfit began in the 1880s and merged with one of its competitors, Western Union, in the 1940s. The button is by the S. Eisner Company of New Jersey...

ARTIFACT: This is a Western Union Telegraph Company belt buckle from the early 20th century. VINTAGE: Circa early 1900s. SIZE: About 2-3/4" in width by 2" in height. CONSTRUCTION / MATERIALS: Nickel plated Brass. ATTACHMENT: Loop for...

ARTIFACT: This is an extremely rare circa 1870s Western Union telegraph messenger hat badge. Western Union was started in 1856, although it had been operating for five years already under the name New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph...

ARTIFACT: Unidentified 1950's – 60's (?) B.M.R. Enterprises courier badge. The center shows a raised five-point star and surrounding reads: "B.M.R. ENTERPRISES" with an eagle at the top holding a banner in its beak that reads:...

ARTIFACT: This is a 1920s badge for the Union Pacific Railroad Superintendent of Telegraph. Union Pacific, now the largest railroad in the United States, has been around in one form or another since 1862. VINTAGE: Circa 1920s. SIZE: Approximately...

ARTIFACT: This is an Italian Post and Telegraph Militia (Milizia Postelegrafonica) enlisted man shoulder board from the 1930's into World War II. Formed in 1925, this group had anti-fraud duties during peacetime, as well as its wartime functions such as...

ARTIFACT: This is a New England Telephone & Telegraph Company "Bell System" operator's service brooch. The brooch is by Balfour, and is gold-filled with a green stone at center beneath a bell in relief. VINTAGE: Circa 1930s or 1940s...