Double-Rod Key – 1893

Steiner Rod Lever Key. Patented December 5, 1893 by Josef Steiner, Brooklyn, NY. (Made by Western Electric Co

This base seems like a transitional style from Steiner to and AB Lyman style base. Haven’t come across another like it.

This key was originally thought to be manufactured between late 1870s and early 1880s, prior to J.H. Bunnell’s release of his Steel Lever Key in 1881. It has since been established that Josef Steiner filed his design on 8th May 1893 serial number 473,362 and was subsequently patented on 5th December 1893 with the patent number of 509,964. It is an unusual brass key with plated lever consisting of parallel circular rods. The transverse pivot bar is stamped and is complete with shorting switch but missing its spring. It is a unique design and although looked very different to the stamped steel lever keys produced by Bunnell, the claims that it “produced a lever that was light, rigid and of neat appearance, and which shall at the same time be simple and cheap in construction” probably weren’t fulfilled. I personally would have thought that the construction of the lever would have been quite an expensive exercise and when Bunnell’s lever could be stamped out it isn’t surprising that this design was short lived.

All the Rod Lever /Double Rod keys I have seen do not have bases like this one. This has a lot of brass. Besides being pretty rare , that makes it Pretty special/different.

This is probably my most cherished key as it’s the oldest I’ve ever come to own but, it’s time to pass it on to another.

Missing one leg-easily replaced and it’s a hidden element

What you see is what you get. Study the pictures.

This "leg key" was made with long mounting studs which allowed mounting on a table top. The connections were made through these studs. This key is unusual in that the lever was composed of two parallel metal rods which allowed the contact position to be adjusted. The inventor, Josef Steiner, was awarded a U.S. patent on December 5, 1893 (No. 509,964) for this design.