Austrian Telegraph Kapsch & Söhne, Manufactured in 1895. Complete and well preserved.

Telegraph device made by Kapsch & Söhne in 1895. This interesting machine is made of golden brass and stands on a solid wooden base. The printer comes with a small operating morse key, also made of metal and on a wooden base. The company Kapsch & Söhne (Kapsch and Sons) was established by Johann Kapsch in Vienna en 1982 to make precision engineering products; nowadays it still exists under the name of Kapsch BusinessCom AG (KBC). The machine we are looking at dates from the end of the 19th century, so it was made in the first years of the companys life. The printer is composed by a stylized set of brass mechanisms, which stand on a wooden base. There are no parts missing and the mechanical functioning has been successfully tested. The electrical system (the electromagnets for the transmission of messages) has not been checked. At the top of the device we can see a big wheel designed to hold the paper for printing. The wooden base is also well preserved and keeps the original varnish, while the two wooden rollers standing on it show their original covering in good shape. The name of the brand (Kapsch & Söhne) and the city where it was founded, Wien (Vienna in German) are engraved in the metal. The machine comes with the original operating key, which has a wooden base and a bakelite knob and is also in good working order. The metal is somewhat pitted and the wood looks slightly worn, which is due to the use and age of the apparatus. Nevertheless, the brass of the printer is in very good condition and looks shiny and polished, providing this piece engineering from the beginning of the 19th century with a great beauty. Because all these reasons, this fine Austrian printer deserves a place of honor in any collection of scientific and engineering antiques. Measurements: 360 mm width x 410 mm height.