Friday, March 4, 2011

Office of the Past

Here's the latest in Dictaphones -- the Traveler Soundscriber. It's battery operated and features cool green disks branded nicely with the logo.

I just discovered more information about this on an item currently listed on Ebay! See this link: http://cgi.ebay.com/Soundscriber-Dictating-1950s-Rare-CD-Manual-Model-5R-/380160832115?pt=Vintage_Electronics_R2&hash=item588359f273

This is a "trick" postcard, as the back reveals...it's actually a postcard sample from the publisher, with the following description on the back:
"This copy you are reading represents the approximate amount and layout included in the cost of your post card order. Anything in excess of this, or differing in layout, will carry an extra charge.
This card is a standard post card format. Cards will always be printed in this form unless otherswise specified."

Hmmm, I wonder how well this one helped their postcard sales!

4 comments:

viridian said...

Darn. And I was interested in those little green disks. what a useful machine ;-)

Joy said...

Gosh look at those batteries, some power sucking machine. What every office needs:-)

Max said...

The link to Ebay contains some great information, paraphrashed here.===> The SoundScriber was a dictation format introduced in 1945. It recorded sound by pressing grooves into soft vinyl discs, and, along with the competing Gray Audograph and DictaBelt, is one of the few examples of a groove-based consumer recording medium.

The format remained popular for two decades, due in part to the robustness of the discs and the ease with which they could be mailed. The green discs with their characteristic square center hole came in two sizes, 6 inches (known as "Mail Chute") that played for 15 minutes, and 4-inch "Memo Discs" with eight minutes of recording time.
The soundscriber was used by the Army & Airforce during the cold war and the machines are rare and quite valuable.

Snap said...

interesting card and I remember the SoundScriber. I believe my father had one, or something similar. I remember the discs. Memories, memories!!! Happy PFF