Telegraph Sending Device

This item is a Morse code telegraph sending device from 1912 made by the Mecograph company. It is known as a 'semiautomatic key' a.k.a. 'bug'. It's the 'Premier' model made just before Mecograph taken over by a competitor(Vibroplex company) and shut down. The 'N' on the paddle is a 'tool check', and most likely was an initial of the owner The tool check was riveted to the OEM paddle as a repair. Telegraph operators revered their bugs, and today they are revered by collectors.