1893 Blickensderfer No. 5 (Telegraph Typewheel)

This is a rare first-year telegraph Blickensderfer No. 5. The No. 5 made its debut in 1893 at the World’s Columbian Exposition (aka the Chicago World’s Fair). It was a simple machine that offered common typewriter functions at only a third of the price of a standard typewriter. Importantly, it featured a full keyboard, which other portables had lacked up until that time. This one features a 2-row type wheel specifically for telegraph transcription.