Antique Induction / Spark / Ruhmkorff Coil 

This is a quite rare British Antique Induction / Spark / Ruhmkorff Coil.  A great find for all collectors of vintage technology.

Induction coil or spark coils were used in early radio signalling testing, however, the function of this induction coil was possibly not so benign. Shock Therapy was used extensively in Victorian and Edwardian times as a Quack cure, or at least as a therapeutic device, for a multitude of complaints and illnesses. We think this device dates to the Edwardian period: early 20th Century.

This particular device is portable, being quite small. It would have been powered from battery. It is being sold as a collectible device only and is not supplied with a battery.

Approximate Size:

• Width: 19.2 cm (7.5")
• Height: 2.3 cm
• Depth: 11 cm
  

The wood plinth and components are in pretty good condition with scratches, scuffs, and blemishes commensurate with age and use. There is a cork missing from the end of one of the connectors.

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Spark Gap Transmitter and Induction Coils

A spark-gap transmitter is a device that generates radio frequency electromagnetic waves using a spark gap. This was the technology used in the first thirty years of radio transmission (1887- 1920s), using morse code, prior to the introduction of radio valves/ vacuum tubes. In order to create a spark gap you need an induction/ spark coil, (also known as an inductorium or Ruhmkorff coil after the inventor, Heinrich Rumhkorff), which produces high voltage pulses from low voltage DC.

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