Show off your CW keys

I looked through the subforums and lo and behold I do not think I saw a thread dedicated to sharing CW keys. I invite one and all to add to the collection of keys so that everyone gets a little eye candy now and then. All types are encouraged. Straight, Iambic, single paddle; the more the merrier. Unfortunately I have only the one.
BirdyKey Z73-Plus by BHC

 

Here's my collection as of a couple of years ago before I sold about a third of the collection:

 

And the latest addition ...

 

Your "unknown" key is a British RAF type D key from around WW2 - complete units usually have a full Bakelite enclosure but many do not survive and are often chipped or cracked.

 

Thank you! Then it was probably not a spark key, either. I assumed that because the contacts were very large.

 

Kent Hand Key -- early model made in UK rather than Germany.



Palm Single Paddle. Nice portable paddle for operating while holding it.

 

It's my avatar, but here's a higher resolution picture to show off. This is a Begali Expedition paddle.

 

Talking of the large silver contacts, the lower contact is mounted on a thinish steel spring plate to give the key a softer feel and perhaps to dampen bounce - apparently some operators that liked a more crisp feel used to slip a coin or washer under the spring plate to remove the spring action.
Just another bit of worthless info for you!

 

Thanks again. That was one of the keys I sold a year or so ago since I did not know what it was. Sold to a ham in Germany for $42 which was about I had paid for it. The shipping cost to Germany was almost that much!

Since you told me what it was, I have done a little research. IF I had had an intact cover with it, it would been Big Money to the right collector. Without the cover I probably got about what they're worth.

Only a couple of the vintage keys I had cost more than about $50. The exceptions being the T1 German key, which I still have, which was about $100 on ebay; and the Japanese WWII Navy key, which I paid a little over $100 for, also ebay ... but sold it last year for over $300 to Japanese businessman. It was pretty beat up but complete and had some writing on it - I assume he must have had a special interest in it.

I've got so many of the WT-8AMP MkIII keys because someone gave me one when I was a Novice ham in 1971 and I really liked using it, and just because there's so many variations, and they're inexpensive. I think they're excellent keys.

 

Love my Begali Adventurer on mu KX3!