Mystifying Oracle Electric c. 1933
William Fuld
Baltimore, Maryland
design on metal
Courtesy of Eugene Orlando/Museum of Talking Boards
L2016.1101.068a,b
The William Fuld Manufacturing Company produced a number of interesting boards, perhaps none more so than the exceedingly rare Mystifying Oracle Electric, which they offered in the 1930s. The oversized board and planchette are made of sheet metal and finished in a faux mahogany. The board displays an unusual, scattered alphabet layout with a Grecian-inspired border pattern. Its most unusual feature, however, is a remarkable light-up planchette, powered by a dry-cell battery. An electric bulb cleverly illuminates letters through the viewing window when the electric switch, located on the underside of the planchette, comes into contact with bumps on the board.
