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As usage of Morse code wanes, it’s somewhat comforting, and surprising, to learn that its legacy lives on in the strangest of forms. Here we have six unique examples of that very code being used in a variety of different items, some more successfully than others.

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1. The Morse Code Watch

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Above: From the twisted minds of Tokyo Flash – a watch-making company dedicated to selling unique and often unusably complicated watches – comes a timepiece with a difference: at the press of a button, an in-built speaker will relay the current time by way of Morse code. Apparently the only such watch in existence, and it’s easy to see why. A snip at £59.95.

2. The Morse Code Quilt

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Above: Back in 2008, self-certified geek Julie Ramsey decided to craft a gift for her equally geeky brother (who was about to graduate from high school) in the form of the above Morse code quilt. Read horizontally, the quilt helpfully contains the following coded messages: Remember all semicolons; Document as you go; Do (Mt.) Dew, not drugs; Change passwords and underwear often; Fight for great justice.

3. The Morse Code Keyboard

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Above: Earlier this year, as a result of a search to find a novel way to learn and use Morse code, ‘BenB‘ decided to build the Morse Keyboard seen above. The device plugs neatly into the USB port of your computer, at which point all codes tapped out are translated into letters and then typed out on screen. Novel indeed.

4. The Morse Code RSS Reader

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Above: A beautiful telegraph sounder that, when connected to a computer, can cleverly, but pointlessly, clack out any chosen RSS feed in Morse code. The entire project – including the sounder itself – was handcrafted lovingly by Jake von Slatt, an intelligent and creative chap who has been intrigued by telegraph sounders and Morse code since his early years.

5. The Morse Code Leather Arm Guard

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Above: Here we have a stunning Steampunk fashion accessory courtesy of Etsy retailer Professor Maelstromme that beautifully makes use of a Morse code key as part of its design. The ‘Morse code key arm guard’ is a must for all weapon-wielding lovers of Steampunk, of which I’m sure there are many, and is actually available to buy; all are unique, variously coloured and made to order. Stunning.

6. The Morse Code Clock

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Above: Not the most polished of products but interesting nonetheless, this homemade Morse code clock has been designed to tell you the time by way of a series of flashes, in Morse code, activated whenever the light itself is tapped. Certainly not practical due to the fact that one needs to first approach the light, quickly tap it, patiently wait for the code to be transmitted, then work out the time; all just to achieve a result reachable in a fraction of that time by simply looking at a normal clock.

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From 1914 until the mid-1920s, the population of Germany and Austria were faced with a crisis of sorts: the value of the materials used to make coins was now higher than the value of their denominations. Understandably, the public began refusing to hand over said currency to purchase goods and its distribution slowed to a a virtual stop. In response, makeshift banknotes – not legal tender but used as such in local circles – were produced by local authorities and some companies, and quickly began to circulate.

An unintended side-effect was that the majority were beautifully and uniquely designed, and as a result many people were so enamoured by the colourful ‘Notgeld‘ (‘emergency money’) that they began to save them and pay for goods with their legal currency instead, thus recirculating the genuine coins; by 1930 the distribution of these notes (fashioned from all manner of materials including paper, wood, leather, photographs, coupons) had ceased and instead spawned a collectors’ market.

To this day numerous collections of this now-disused ‘emergency currency’ continue to provoke interest.

Below is a round-up of some of the most eye-catching examples.

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