Lot 33

A very rare OMI Alpha electromechanical cipher machine,
Italian, circa 1940,

Instruments of Science and Technology

2 December 2020, 14:00 GMT

London, Knightsbridge

£30,000 - £50,000

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Jon Baddeley

Specialist Consultant Collectors, Science & Marine

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Claire Tole-Moir

Head of Department

Tel: +44 20 7393 3984

[email protected]

A very rare OMI Alpha electromechanical cipher machine, Italian, circa 1940,

this wheel-based electromechanical cipher machine, developed and produced in secrecy by OMI in Rome at the start of WWII. It was intended for use by the Italian Army (Regio Ersetico), the Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) and the Navy (Regia Marina). It is similar to the German Enigma and has 5 cipher wheels, including a moving reflector.The machine features irregular stepping of the cipher wheels, controlled by stepping pins, or notches, at the circumference of each wheel, similar to the stepping of the Zählwerk Enigma. The difference with the Enigma however, is that the Alpha has one more cipher wheel and that it is motor-driven, making it faster in operation. Furthermore, it prints its output directly onto a paper strip, allowing the machine to be operated by a single person. The QWERTY keyboard has 26 keys of which the letter 'W' is used as the spacebar. Lacking perspex cover to the paper strip spool, the case 15in (38cm) wide

Footnotes

For more information, please see:
www.cryptomuseum.com/crypto/omi/alpha/index.htm

Additional information

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A very rare OMI Alpha electromechanical cipher machine, Italian, circa 1940,

Own a similar item?

Looking for a similar item?

Ask about this lot

Jon Baddeley

Claire Tole-Moir

A very rare OMI Alpha electromechanical cipher machine, Italian, circa 1940,

Footnotes

Additional information

Auction information

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