Office work has a long history. Along with it have been appearing a lot of utensils and work tools to make more effective and bearable the work in any office or administrative space. These office tools have become true jewels over time, given their refined design and sophisticated mechanism. Office work, with its ...
Office work has a long history. Along with it have been appearing a lot of utensils and work tools to make more effective and bearable the work in any office or administrative space. These office tools have become true jewels over time, given their refined design and sophisticated mechanism. Office work, with its primordial starting point in the invention of the printing press, has been fundamental for the progress of cities, and all the tools that populated the office worker's desk have been witnesses to this.
Over time, antique office tools and supplies have become true collector's gems. The enormous beauty they possess, coupled with their perfect functionality, have placed them as objects highly appreciated by art and aesthetic beauty lovers. They are highly valued pieces, which can be displayed in your office for the simple pleasure of contemplation, and at the same time can be used to solve the operations and functions required for office work. In any case, owning a collection of antique office items is an unmistakable symptom of good taste.
Among the large number of office antiques offered on the market, below we will expose the most sought after by collectors, given their external aesthetic value and their internal design and functionality. They are as follows:
-Antique typewriters. Without any doubt, antique typewriters are the true crown jewel in any collection of office tools. Machines are preserved in an impeccable condition, perfectly arranged for use. They are of the most legendary brands (Olivetti, Underwood, Remington...) and of a long tradition: from 1880 to the 1950s.
-Antique calculators. Watching the operation of an antique calculating machine is a real treat for the senses. The mechanism with which they are designed is exhibited in a very sophisticated and majestic way. They are true works of art of engineering and hence their high value for collectors. The best brands on the market are offered, from the year 1850 to 1970: Triumphator, Lipsia, Brunsviga, Thales...They are available in a very sophisticated and majestic way.
-Antique telephones. Telephony has improved a lot over time, but the old telephones have left us a real mark for their technological capacity and their beauty. Lovers of this type of antiques will be able to add to their collection wall phones, table phones, wooden phones, Bakelite phones, candle phones, gondola phones, etc. All of these antiques are available in a variety of styles.
-Antique telegraphs. Long before the invention of the telephone and other more modern communication systems, the telegraph, created by Samuel Morse, was in use. Telegraphs are authentic relics, which you can now add to your wonderful collection.The telegraphs are authentic relics, which you can now add to your wonderful collection.
-Other office antiques. Finally, you can complete your fantastic collection of office antiques by collecting other utensils, such as rubber and dry stamps, letter openers, pencil sharpeners, pencil sharpeners, furniture, etc.
Subcategories
If the invention of writing marked the beginning of history itself, the appearance of the typewriter made it possible to refine this technique to unsuspected limits. The first great example came around 1865 under the signature of Rasmus Malling-Hansen. This prototype, named Malling-Hansen in honor of its inventor, was not exactly the first machine of its kind, but it was a pioneer in terms of its commercialization. The path continued in the following decades with the contributions of Remington or Hammond among others, which brought the machines to high levels of popularity. In the first decades of the 20th century, their use was already universal thanks to firms such as Smith Premier or Olivetti, with the arrival of the electric models developed by the International Business Machines Corporation. Today, such a fascinating world is the object of desire of collectors from all over the world.
If the general history of typewriters is fascinating, knowing the who's who of the manufacturers who popularized them is a must for collectors.
The first major criterion for classifying these antiques is whether or not they have a keyboard. In the first case, those with an index stand out, which were in turn divided into those with a circular, quadrangular or linear format, being very rare examples and, therefore, coveted. Among those with a keyboard, the main classification criterion is the key stroke (lower, upper, front, rosette...). Finally, the keyboard layout is another important factor for placing machines in one category or another. In spite of the common characteristics, each historical model has some singularities that make it unique and valuable.
Antique telephones are pieces of high aesthetic and historical value for collectors of antiques related to communications technology. Since the invention of the telephone in the late 19th century revolutionized communication between people, models have evolved at the speed of light. From the first designs, bulky and complicated to handle, to the current cell phones, the evolution of this invention has been truly spectacular.
The first known telephone is due to the ingenuity of an Italian inventor, Antonio Meucci. Although for decades the invention of the telephone was attributed to the American Alexander Graham Bell, it was eventually shown that Bell actually patented the invention before Meucci. To solve this mistake, in 2002 the US Congress passed Resolution 269, which returned the paternity of the device to Meucci (who gave it the curious name of telephone).
It was in 1854 when Antonio Meucci built the first known telephone with the intention of communicating the upper floor of his home, where his office was located, with the lower floor, where his wife used to be. Lacking sufficient financial resources, Meucci was unable to register the patent and it ended up being acquired by Alexander Graham Bell. Unfortunately, the Italian inventor passed away without being recognized as the real "father" of this device: an invention that revolutionized the way people communicate with each other, without which we could not understand the evolution of our society.
Old telephones can be classified into different types, depending mainly on their design. In reality, the technology that makes them work is basically the same; for this reason, when establishing a typology it is necessary to do so according to their aesthetic characteristics.
Today, antique telephones still have thousands of admirers who look for them in stores, markets and websites. In many cases their mechanisms can be adapted to the telephone lines of today's homes, becoming not only fantastic antiques, but one hundred percent functional devices. Their boom is a real tribute to one of the most revolutionary and important technological inventions of all time.
Today it seems impossible that there was a time when there were no means of communicating over distance. But the truth is that until the advent of ancient telegraphs, the only way to contact people and disseminate information was by post. For this reason, the invention of the telegraph can be considered one of the most important in the history of mankind. Thanks to this ingenious device, news began to be known quickly and the way of understanding the world was never the same again. Today, fans of collecting antiques related to communications place a special value on antique telegraphs and their components. And no wonder: these are truly fascinating mechanical pieces, which in many cases are still working and keep intact all their power of attraction.
The name "Morse apparatus" is due to the one who is considered the inventor of the telegraph: Samuel F. B. Morse, an American artist born in 1791. However, although Morse was the first to build a telegraph apparatus as we know it today, a series of discoveries and inventions (by figures such as Francisco Calvá y Campillo and Carl Friedrich Gauss) led to the final design. The story goes that Morse decided to invent a device that could transmit information quickly, after learning of the death of his wife a week after the sad event. In addition to designing the device, Morse created the code that bears his name with the help of Henry and Alfred Vail. The inventor built the first telegraph in 1837, and seven years later the first telegraph communication was made. Ancient telegraphs were the first step for the appearance of one of the most important inventions of the last centuries: the telephone.
There are two types of telegraph stations: sending stations and receiving stations. The former have keys, also known as pointers, manipulators or boosters, intended to transmit information in Morse code. The receiving stations, on the other hand, have telegraph printers that print the signs received on reels of paper. These signs are then decoded by an operator, who transforms them into words, phrases and messages. Another important element of the receiving station is the galvanometer, a contribution of the English scientist Lord Kelvin thanks to which the first telegraph cable connecting London with New York was put into operation in 1866.
Antique galvanometers, antique Morse keys and antique telegraphs in general are items full of magnetism, with a beauty and interest given by their functionality. Today, antique telegraph stations and their components(together or separately) are part of the most important collections. We can find magnificent pieces in private collections, but also in the most important science and technology museums in the world. Their precision, their intrinsic beauty and the ingenuity displayed by their invention make them true jewels, treasures of a past time that coincided with the advent of Modernity.
Magnificent KTAS Bakelite telephone made in Denmark. About 100 years old. In perfect working order. Magnificent KTAS Bakelite telephone...
Striking Underwood typewriter refinished in red. Collectors piece in perfect working order. Striking Underwood typewriter...
Imposing antique Torpedo 6 typewriter. With German keyboard and in good working order. Imposing antique Torpedo 6...
Complete Original Odhner 27 calculator with case. In striking working order. Beautiful piece. Complete Original Odhner 27...
Superb Original Odhner calculator model 27 in amazing working order. In very good condition. Superb Original Odhner calculator...
Gorgeous Original Odhner 6 calculator from the early 20th century. In excellent working order. Gorgeous Original Odhner 6 calculator...
Authentic needle telegraph for railway environment in amazing condition. With all its original component parts. Museum piece. Authentic needle telegraph for...
Beautiful Continental typewriter with German keyboard and special keys. In very good condition and fine working order. Beautiful Continental typewriter with...
Beautiful Mercedes typewriter in excellent working order. German keyboard. Beautiful Mercedes typewriter in...
Rare and magnificent Hammond 12 typewriter. In excellent condition and working order. Rare and magnificent Hammond 12...
Astonishing German Continental typewriter in excellent condition. It works and types really fine. Astonishing German Continental...
Outstanding Ericsson telegraph with glass panels and wooden base. Gorgeous. In good mechanical working order. Outstanding Ericsson telegraph with...
Nostalgic intercom telephone in fine condition. Nearly 100 years old. Very beautiful. Nostalgic intercom telephone in fine...
Complete intercom telephone obtained from a factory. With all its original component parts. Collectors piece. Complete intercom telephone obtained...
Evocative wooden telephone with auxiliary earpiece. Mahogany wooden box with artisanal joints. Article with charm. Evocative wooden telephone with...
19th century silver chalice in perfect condition with gilded cup....
Rare silver naveta from Valladolid, Spain, circa 1775. Rich vegetal...
Antique French gilt bronze clock with Cupid, circa 1850. Paris 7-day...
Exceptional 1915 HMV Monarch 13C gramophone-phonograph with mahogany...
Automatic "Victoria" cigarette rolling machine, made in Spain around...
Antique French gilded bronze clock ca. 1850. Diana the Huntress seated...
Elegante reloj de sobremesa de bronce dorado al mercurio, circa 1840, en...
Elegant gilt bronze portico clock, France, 19th century. Working condition.
Beautiful Mughal or Khanjar dagger...