April 24, 2024
secret codes code cryptography Jefferson Wheels decoder set of 2 new
Pricing & History
-
Sold for
Start Free Trial or Sign In to see what it's worth.
- Sold Date
- Source eBay
JEFFERSON WHEELS - REPRODUCTION - WORKING - SET (2) Although these are out of the package, they are brand new. These are modern plastic reproductions of Jefferson's secret code wheels. They are made of durable plastic and sold as a set of two so that they could actually be used! You get TWO code wheels, one set. An interesting cryptography item. The original Jefferson Wheel as described by the web site: "While serving as George Washington's secretary of state (1790-1793), Thomas Jefferson devised an ingenious, and secure method to encode and decode messages: the wheel cipher. During the American Revolution, Jefferson had relied primarily on messengers to hand-carry sensitive letters, but codes became an essential part of his correspondence when he was America's minister to France (1784-1789) since European postmasters opened and read all letters passing through their command.Jefferson's wheel cipher consisted of twenty-six cylindrical wooden pieces, each threaded onto an iron spindle. The letters of the alphabet were inscribed on the edge of each wheel in a random order. Turning these wheels, words could be scrambled and unscrambled. Although Jefferson apparently abandoned use of the wheel after 1802, it was "re-invented" twice: first by a French government official around 1890, and then just prior to World War I by an officer
read more
Items in the Price Guide are obtained exclusively from licensors and partners solely for our members’ research needs.
If this item contains incorrect or inappropriate information please contact us here to flag it for review.
If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.
If you are the originator/copyright holder of this photo/item and would prefer it be excluded from our community, contact us here for removal.
