Key: Vibroplex Dual Lever with T-bar damper
Serial: 76065
Vintage: 1920
Acquired: July 2, 2026
Plate: C3 | 253 Broadway N.Y. | 6 Patents – Last 1,260,008
Base: Black with Vibroplex bug sticker remnants
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Review
Introduced around 1907, the second Vibroplex model introduced a physically separate dash lever, perhaps to help solve the problem of “split dots” which can occur when a key operator presses the dash lever before a full dit has been created, effectively pulling the dit contact away too early.
The dual lever Vibroplex was first introduced while Horace Martin and the United Electrical Manufacturing Company (U.E.M.) was located in Norcross, GA. The early variations of the dual lever Vibroplex were offered on a thin sheet metal base as well as the typical thicker steel bases seen previously. Another oddity used on the Norcross dual lever bugs was a unique pivot frame design. These frames were essentially cut in half, that is to say, they were missing the left half of the typical cast frame. By the end of Martin’s time in Norcross, he had swapped the “half frame” out for a square frame with both sides present. This design would be continued when Martin moved to Atlanta after the U.E.M. company dissolved.
After his short stint in Georgia, Horace Martin returned to New York City and entered into an association with James E. Albright. NYC dual levers began with the square frames that were used in Georgia. These were then changed to a frame with rounded “shoulders” and a cloverleaf-shaped cutout on the inside. There are other subtle changes in the circuit closer lever found on the dual lever Vibroplexes. One where the pivot is at the end of the circuit closer bar and the other where the pivot is near the middle.
As with the Original and the #4 Blue Racer models, the dual lever Vibroplex received variations in damper assemblies where some were sold with the T-bar damper assembly.
The dual lever Vibroplex was discontinued in the mid 1920s.
The dual lever Vibroplex is scarce enough that any variation is worth adding to your collection. The Norcross and Atlanta models are extremely scarce and command a high price at auctions I’ve seen.
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