NEMA Cipher Machine
The Swiss Successor to the Enigma💟 Machine, One of O✨nly 640 Built, ca. 1948
Lot closes
July 17, 06:10 PM GMT
Estimate
7,000 - 9,000 USD
Current Bid
5,500 USD
3 Bids
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Lot Details
Description
NEMA Cipher Machine
Model 45, Produced by Zellweger A.-G for t𒐪he Swiss Army, ca. 1948.
Serial number 315, complete with 10 wheels consisting of: 1 rightmost red entry-wheel, or Eintrittzwalze (ETW), 1 leftmost reflector wheel, or Umkehrwalze (UKW), and 6 pairs of wheels (A20, B16, C19, and D21), each consisting of 1 electrically wired coding wheel and 1 stepping wheel, all 10 with 26 positions for each letter of🦄 the alphabet. "QWERTZ" keyboard with 31 white on black bakelite keys consisting of the 26 letters of the alphabet, "BU" and "ZL" keys to toggle between letters and numbers, carriage return "WR" key, and two blank keys, plus metal space bar; combined rotor cover and light panel with letters A-Z, metal manufacturer's label reading "Zellweger A.-G. Apparate- u. Maschinenfabriken. Uster. Type: T-D No.: 315", metal power source toggle switch, two nodes for connecting external 4-volt power source, counter re-set lever, panel lifting to reveal 26 light bulbs, rotor & reflector compartment, and battery compartment. In the original black transit case with leather handle (14¼ x 12¾ x 5¾ inches), case stenciled with "TD315," inside of lid fitted with 16 spare bulbs, external lamp panel for extra security, mains cable with Edison fitting, contact brush, and two keys to lock. WITH: Original NEMA Instruction manual, printed in French & German, with "ENTKLASSIFIZIERT DATUM: 9. Juli 1992" printed on the front wrapper and stamped with serial number 240.
Machine serial number and st🐼icker on case indicate this was a machine used in training.
When the Swiss discovered that their Enigma traffic was being intercepted by both the Germans and the French, their they developed their own electromechanical wheel-based cipher machine known as the NEMA (Neue Machine). Between 1941-43, a team of mathematicians including Hugo Hadwiger, Heinrick Emil Weber, Paul Glu, and Captain Arthur Alder worked to develop the machine, wi𓂃th the first prototype being developed in 1944, and production starting in 1946, too late to assist the war efforts.
A total of 640 machines were built by the manufacturer, with numbers TD-100 to TD-199 being issued for use by the Foreign office, numbers TD-200 to TD-419 being used in training, and numbers TD-420 to TD-740 being Operational Machines reserved for﷽ use in war. The Operational Machines were slightly different in operation, with diff🎉erent notches on the stepping wheels, two extra wheels stored in the lid, and a paper label on the lid in French, German, and Italian indicating that they were only to be used in the event of war. The Swiss Army used the NEMA after WWII until it was replaced by other more advanced cipher machines, such as the Hagelin (See Lot 9). The NEMA was officially declassified on July 9th, 1992.
