1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 0

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 1

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 2

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 3

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 4

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 5

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 6

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 7

1911 Stenograph Machine, US $125.00 – Picture 8

1911 Stenograph Machine

US $125.00

Dallas, Texas, United States
Jan 30th

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FRONT LABEL: Stenotype "To Labor Less and Accomplish More" BACK LABEL: Mfg by The Universal Stenotype Co. Owensboro, KY. U.S.A. Pat. Jan 3, 1911. Others Pending SIDE PANELS: Logo on both sides Original Case and Roll of paper, no ribbon I inherited this Stenotype machine from my stepfather, whose family was originally from Owensboro, KY. The family story was that his great uncle was one of the original investors and this was one of the first ones made. I have no way of verifying this, but the date of 1911 is clearly on the label on the back. It is in pretty good condition. There is paint peeling off on the right side and a little on the top. The keys all seem to work. There is a roll of paper still in it, but no ribbon. I have no idea if it would still work, but I don't see any reason it wouldn't. I tried to research this and found the following from The History of the Shorthand Machine: The Modern Keyboard Perhaps the greatest and most lasting influence on the advancement of machine shorthand came from inventor and reporter Ward Stone Ireland. Ireland's machine was able to exact the greatest useful output from the fewest possible strokes. It was with the first production model Stenotype that many new speed championship records were reached by young and inexperienced operators. The secret of Ireland's high-speed keyboard (still in use today) was that so few keys were present in relation to the 10 fingers of the two hands, reducing or eliminating the awkward reaching for keys not directly under the fingers. In 1910 he applied for a patent and organized a partnership with friends to underwrite the machine's development. Stenotype number one, known as "Old Ironsides," was under construction for nine months and weighed 54 pounds. Stenotype number two, an experimental model, weighed 31 pounds, while the third machine weighed in at 11-1/2 pounds. Under the newly formed Universal Stenotype Company, Ireland and his partners developed the fourth Stenotype machine, which weighed 8-1/4 pounds. Thirty teachers came to the factory site to learn stenotype from Mr. Ireland, and in 1912 the company began manufacturing and selling his Stenotype machine. Private business schools began training and graduating Stenotype operators, and many court and convention reporters studied stenotype in their spare time. Business colleges all over America hailed this new marvel. Ireland's business, renamed The Stenotype Company, expanded to volume proportions. Helping to fuel Stenotype's success was the 1914 NSRA speedwriting contest. Ireland hired the well-respected Emma B. Dearborn to teach stenotype classes to prepare nine candidates for the contest. Their commanding presence at the contest and dominance in the categories (Fanny Schoenfeld and Clem Boling each won one of the legs) drew charges of unfair competition by the pen shorthand writers. The result was machine writers were banned from participating in the contest until 1952! Tragically, the winds of fortune shifted for Ireland and his Stenotype Company after World War I. Personal accounts point to the company's involvement in manufacturing munitions for the war effort, only to be saddled with over $1 million in inventory at the time of the Armistice in 1918. The company was crippled financially and had to close its doors. Ireland had already sold his interest in the company, moved from Indianapolis to St. Louis, and formed the National Shorthand Machine Company. It survived only a couple of years, and Ireland went on to develop other products and inventions, including washing machines, windmills and commercial refrigeration. Note: We originally had this listed much higher, but I really want to sell it so have drastically reduced the price.

Condition	Used : An item that has been used previously. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. This item may be a floor model or store return that has been used. See the seller’s listing for full details and description of any imperfections.
Seller Notes	“Antique Stenograph Machine, over 100 years old. Condition as shown in photos. I assume it still works, but there is no ribbon in it.”