Earlier today I was looking through Amazon’s Buyer Waiting list and I came across a book titled “The Vibroplex Collector’s Guide”. I had no idea what a Vibroplex was, but I figured if someone had gone to the trouble of writing a collector’s guide there were people who collected them, so I wanted to know what they were.

It turns out that a Vibroplex is a semi-automatic telegraph key (or bug) that has been manufactured in various models since 1904 or 1905. Originally the market for these was made up almost entirely of landline telegraph operators. That began to change in the 1950s as amateur radio operators (hams) became Vibroplex’s biggest market.

Today, there is a growing market for used Vibroplex bugs. That market, fueled by both ham radio operators looking for used models and by collectors, is alive and well on eBay. Most Vibroflex bugs offered on eBay seem to sell between $45 and $400 depending on the model and condition.

While these aren’t something you are likely to run across at antique shops or garage sales, they are worth knowing about because they will likely show up on occasion at estate and auction sales and it’s unlikely anyone else there will know what they are worth.

If you’d like to learn more about them, The Vibroplex Collector’s Page is a good place to start.

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