Key Collecting - Hobby Within A Hobby

August 26, 2021

Telegraph keys are simple, useful tools rich in history. When I went to my first hamfest, I was amazed at the different shapes, sizes, and types that were present. I noticed one tailgater who was selling new and used books and CDs. On his table, he had a couple books about telegraph keys that Dave Ingram, K4TWJ (SK) authored, which looked like they could prove helpful so I bought them.

That started me on my hobby within a hobby. I started collecting, slowly and cautiously at first. After purchasing a couple bugs, several paddles, and another straight key, I realized that I had neither the money nor the physical space for a large number of keys. That led me to decide to concentrate on certain groups and not every bargain I found. The groups I chose are small portable keys, military keys, and a limited number of combo keys. You will find the results of years of collecting in individual articles in the Current Articles menu.

My collection will probably continue to grow, but now I am only filling holes in the collection. The missing keys are rarer and more expensive so this may take awhile.