For Nerds: The Sphinx
Woah, this is awesome.
The device is made up of 20 alphabet slides that the operator can scramble in any set of 10 pairs. One end is clear text and the other is the encrypted text. In the aluminum Sphinx, the pairs lock together at the ends. In the wood version, they just push against one another.
The "white" device which resembles a double-cursor slide rule is believed to be an early version of the Sphinx. It has no gears or rack and the material is ivory on boxwood type of construction but it does have Lugagne's name attached to it. Both devices work the same way; the 20 rules can be scrambled and interchanged at will although the alphabets are not identical on the two devices.
This example of the Sphinx is owned by Robert E. Welsh. It is the earlier version made from wood and ivory. This earlier version is called ‘Transpositeur’. Le Sphinx was released in 1930 and the earlier version (Transpositeur) in 1912. (All photos above by Robert Welsh)
Fuck yeah, I live for this shit
http://www.jproc.ca/crypto/sphinx.html
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