[GreenKeys] Stock ticker saga ...

Fri, 11 Apr 2003 16:12:30 -0400

Well a few greenkeyers have asked similar questions so I thought I'd write the story.  this is what I can tell you..

I've been looking for a ticker for about 15 years (maybe even 20 years!) But I never had much money (still dont) I have been watching ebay over the last few years and depending on the model and condition, they have gone for a range of about $6,100-12k and in off-line auctions as much as $20k (for pristine ones)

There is a company called http://www.thestocktickercompany.com that sells newly manufactured universal tickers for (last I checked) $35,000 yikes!

I found mine in a clock shop that was fixing a grandfather clock I had and I was walking out the door and asked "hey, by any chance, do you guys ever come across old stock tickers?" And my luck changed! The worker said "why yes, in fact we have one in the back office!"  

The worker brought me to the back office and said "its been sitting here for a few years, the owner had always planned to clean it, lube it and get a dome for it but never did..If you want I can ask the owner how much he wants for it." 

I said "sure" half seriously figuring this guy would think its worth $100,000. Any way, the next day I got a call saying the owner wanted to sell it and he wanted "$700!" My response was cool as a cucumber..I pointed out that it was missing some parts and that I would have to think about it (took a big gamble here).

That next weekend I went up to the clock shop and offered $500. We settled on $625! Later on, the owner told me he had paid $250 for it and by the look on his face, it seemed he was implying that I didn't get such a good deal! I really think he still doesnt know the value of these things..So I told him to keep me in mind if he ever runs across another one!

As for finding information, I have been trying for a very long time.  The Western Union tickers have much more information available about them including technical manuals, parts lists, etc.  The New York Quotation ticker is a later ticker than the WU tickers and I believe is a little rare, but for some reason often fetches less than the others.

I have been trying desparately to find information on them, people who are knowledgable on them and can work on them.  I have tried to research the NYQ company in hopes to find archives like the WU archives at the smithsonian, I am in the process of communicating with American Museum of Financial History as well as sotheby's and christies and the smithsonian (so far not much has turned up). Maybe with help of NADCOMM I can find more contacts to research? Certainly this has its place in the history of data communications!

My favorite tickers in are in this order...

WU Universal 
http://www.stocktickercompany.com/historypics/16.jpg

NY Quotation
http://www.stocktickercompany.com/historypics/22.jpg

WU Self winding
http://www.stocktickercompany.com/historypics/24-a.jpg

Teletype Black Box
http://www.stocktickercompany.com/historypics/26.jpg

I believe the NYQ was the last major ticker with a glass dome before the "black box" ticker was introduced in the 1930's - this one is a good ol Teletype manufactured machine! But is not quite as pretty.

But the self winding is considered the quitessential stock ticker.

Some other images:
http://claussstudios.bizland.com/selfwinding.jpg
http://claussstudios.bizland.com/lateblackbox.jpg
http://claussstudios.bizland.com/realticker2.chtml

--- "McNerney, Tim" <[email protected]> wrote:
> Hi Eugene,
> 
> I saw your posting to Greenkeys...
> 
> Wow, so how did you get a stock ticker?
> They are quite rare and usually expensive.
> I believe the scarcity is because many were
> intentionally destroyed to prevent fraud.
> Y'know...  "I saw it come right off the ticker,
> it must be for real...."  There were many
> varieties of stock ticker...  I bet you can
> read the patent numbers off the base and
> look up the patents for technical information.
> Good luck.  Keep us posted.
> 
> --Tim McNerney
>   Newton,  MA
> 
> 