[GreenKeys] Help dating early Model 14

[Duncan Brown]

Brian,

Your unit is probably from about 1928-30. In 1930, the Teletype Corp. 
was bought by AT&T for $30 million and became part of Western Electric 
and "Western Electric" would have probably shown up on the nameplate 
after that date.

Some background:
In the early 1920s, there were two American companies making 
teletypewriters: The Morkrum Co. and the Kleinschmidt Electric Co., but 
neither company was making any money.  Customers (mainly Western Union 
and railroads)  were wary of investing too much money in either of these 
small companies, since they might fold at any time.  Conversely, both of 
these companies were hungry for business and  their customers could play 
one against the other to get the best price.

Things came to a head in 1924 after Morkrum sued KEC for patent 
infringement on the start-stop process and KEC counter-sued. A 
protracted suit would probably have killed both companies (with only the 
lawyers benefiting), so it was agreed to merge the two companies. The 
Morkrum-Kleinschmidt Co. was chartered on 29 December 1924. In 1928, the 
name "Morkrum-Kleinschmidt" was felt to be too cumbersome and the name 
was changed to "Teletype Corporation." (Morkrum had been previously 
using "Teletype" as a model name.)

WU had been asking for a stop-start tape printer for immediate, written 
communications. Both Morkrum and KEC had been working on designs to meet 
this need, but now they could combine their plans into a new, type bar, 
start-stop, keyboard tape printer; which became the Western Union Model 
2-B. After tests & evaluations in about 1926, WU's first order was for 
10,000 machines at $317 each – a total of $3.17 Million. No such 
quantity of a printing telegraph had ever been ordered before!

This was initially just a tape printer (not a reperforator) and was 
_not_ referred to as a "Model 14."

(Note: Western Union assigned their own model numbers to equipment that 
was manufactured for them. Also, WU reused model numbers for different 
types of equipment. So you could have a "Model 2-B" tape printer, a 
"Model 2-B page printer", a "Model 2-B tape reader", etc.)


Teletype Corp.'s first reperforator (non printing) shows up in about 
1936 as the "Single Magnet Reperforator" in tall box that fit under a 
Model 19 table. It was referred to as an "RPE" and later (1938) as a 
"Model 14".  (Note: there are two model designation systems used for 
Teletype Corp. products!  A letter designation system [Fxx= M14 series; 
Lxx=M28 series, etc.] and the number designation [M11; M12; M14; M28].  
I have heard that the number system was more of a Bell/WE numbering 
system, but the M11 & M12 came before the purchase of Teletype Corp. by 
AT&T.)

Around 1940, the original WU 2-B model strip printer was modified to 
also be a reperforator and that  is the model that we typically think of 
as the M14 Typing Reperforator.

Hope this helps.

have fun,

Duncan Brown, K2OEQ
USASA    31J30

Antique Wireless Association
  Communication Technologies Museum
    Asst. Curator, Commercial Equipment
(also chief TTY op & repairman)

i-Telex: 212503

www.antiquewireless.org

AWA Youtube channel: 
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX55peBhzeX1qps_VYXdLBA
Virtual AWA Museum TTY Tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpB6jM90VV8



On 1/19/2026 9:02 PM, Brian Dunlop wrote:
> Greetings,
> I came across a Teletype model 14 that looks like an early 
> Morkrum-Kleinschmidt but has Teletype badging.
> Could this model 14 be a transitional unit from around December 1928 
> when the company changed its name to Teletype Corporation?  Photos in 
> the folder linked below.
> https://1drv.ms/f/c/abb4389819d8f96e/IgCpSHniEaO7SY55E9eyPK0MAWCVzZIaYNqu2Gg5HjguXRs?e=zk2e8W
> New to the list.  Any information appreciated.
> Regards,
> Brian Dunlop
>
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