THE EASTERN TELEGRAPH COMPANY LIMITED.
Letter Openers.
Letter Openers.
Stock Code 89901
London, 50 & 11, Old Broad Street, 1887-93.
Collection of 1880s letter openers in fine condition, all but one showing a world map on both sides. It beautifully and succinctly illustrates the numerous telegraph lines of the largest cable operating company in the world, and their evolution from 1887 to 1893.
Before further development in the following years, the 1887 opener shows the lines map on one side only, which results in a curious skewed projection in which the northern tip of Australia is shown parallel to Provence! The other side of the opener displays the calendar of the year; it was moved to the handle in subsequent years. Some unusual lines can be seen too, such as New York to Pernambaco (1891).
The Eastern Telegraph Company (ETC), founded in 1872 by John Pender, was born out of the merger of four telegraph companies. At its peak it operated 160,000 nautical miles of cables. Pender became Chairman of the company on its formation and held the position until his death in 1896. The company would eventually become Cable and Wireless.
Letter openers for the years 1887, 88, 89, 91, 92 and 93, with printed world map on one or both sides, calendar printed on handle (or on one side in 1887). Dimensions: 35 by 340 mm (1.25 by 13.25 inches).
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