General Information

Serial #

11940

Part Number

1

Total Parts

1

AKA

N/A

Patents

N/A

General Description

METAL BASE, MECHANISM, REEL (INCLUDING BRASS & IRON)/ SYNTHETIC PARTS/ PAPER TAPE.

Dimensions

Note: These reflect the general size for storage and are not necessarily representative of the object's true dimensions.

Length

20.7 cm

Width

20.7 cm

Height

27.0 cm

Thickness

N/A

Weight

N/A

Diameter

N/A

Volume

N/A

Lexicon

Group

Communications

Category

Telegraphy

Sub-Category

N/A

Manufacturer

AKA

Edison

Country

United States of America

State/Province

Unknown

City

Unknown

Context

Country

Unknown

State/Province

Unknown

Period

early 1920's to early 1940's

Canada

This type of stock ticker could have been used by Canadian businesses and brokerage firms to keep track of stock quotations.

Function

A telegraphic receiving apparatus that automatically prints off stock quotations and other news on a paper ribbon commonly referred to as "ticker tape.'' Stock quotations were received via two-wire telegraph line transmissions.

Technical

The Automatic 1-C stock ticker was invented in 1923 by Western Union engineers. There were approximately 20,000 self-winding tickers made and were used generally for stock quotations into the mid to late 1930's when they were replaced with the faster Western Union 5-A ticker, with a speed of five hundred characters per minute. As the volume of trading grew in the late 19th century, high-speed versions of these machines started to appear, such as the "self winding" ticker in about 1900. The self-winding ticker was made by George B. Scott (superintendent of Gold & Stock Telegraph Co.) and W.P. Phelps (Philadelphia Local Telegraph Co.). Phelps invented the automatic shift from letters to figures and vice versa by changing the polarity on the second or winding wire. This was a great improvement over all other styles of printer at that time. The first design was called the "Scott-Phelps ticker" until 1903, when a man named J.C. Barclay decided that it would be more practical if it was made smaller. Jay R. Page was called to contribute his efforts to the cause. They resolved the situation by placing the escapement magnet and the adjustment screws inside the ticker frame. With the adjustments made, it was renamed the "Scott-Phelps-Barclay-Page ticker". It later came to be known as the "self-winding ticker", taking its final shape sometime between 1915 and 1923. Thomas Edison's West Orange, New Jersey, plant was one of the manufacturing vendors who'd build self-winding tickers in the early 1900s, and this is why it is sometimes thought to have been invented by Thomas Edison himself. [Ref 3]

Area Notes

Unknown

Details

Markings

MECHANISM STAMPED 'M'F'D. BY/ T.A. EDISON, INC.' & '11940'/ BRASS PLAQUE ATTACHED TO BASE WITH INCISED BLACK LETTERING READING 'EDISON STOCK TICKER/ THIS AUTHENTIC OLD SELF-WINDING/ STOCK TICKER WAS DESIGNED BY/ THOMAS A. EDISON IN 1870. IT WAS/ USED FOR ABOUT 80 YEARS/ FOR RECEIVING STOCK AND COM-/MODITY QUOTATIONS FROM THE/ NATION'S LEADING EXCHANGES. [Re. plaque vs actual Model & date of mfr - see additional information in Supp. Inf. file.]

Missing

Ink roller box and glass dome.

Finish

BLACK ENAMEL PAINTED BASE & PARTS/ LACQUERED BRASS/ METALLIC PAINTED REEL/ BLACK SYNTHETIC/ BUFF PAPER.

Decoration

GOLD PAINTED LINE ENCIRCLING BASE.