Paul Allen, who co-founded Microsoft with Bill Gates, is a well known
collector of Star Trek and science fiction memorabilia. His private
asset management company, of which he is the founder and chairman, is
called Vulcan, Inc. Many of Mr. Allen's most celebrated TOS
collectibles, including the original Captain's Chair used on the Bridge
set of the Enterprise for all three seasons of production, are on
display at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle,
Washington.
Below are some images of his TOS communicator hand prop; which is the only Original Series communicator currently on display in a public venue. This communicator was designed and constructed by the artist and special effects master Wah Ming Chang, and is perhaps best seen in the memorable 1st Season episode "This Side of Paradise" (first airdate: Mar. 2, 1967). The communicator was part of the collection of Original Series Set Decorator John Dwyer for over 30 years before it was acquired by Paul Allen in the December, 2001 Profiles In History Matt Jefferies Star Trek Auction for a high bid of $37,500.
And now, some modern era photos of this rare TOS hand prop, which foretold the creation of today's common place cell phone ...
Below are some vintage images of the communicator taken several decades ago while it was in the custody of Mr. Dwyer. Prior to the Profiles In History auction in 2001, it did possess a red crystal in its middle indicator light position. This component unfortunately went missing sometime later; not an unusual occurrence for these tiny jewels. The Dwyer prop is seen alongside a second TOS communicator in the following two photos ...
Below is a screen capture from "This Side of Paradise" which features this communicator ...
And the following image shows the final bid realized for the prop on auction day - December 12, 2001 ...
Below are a few pictures of an Original Series communicator that is part of the collection of the renowned Star Trek TOS expert Greg Jein. Mr. Jein, a celebrated model maker, is also the creator of the 4 foot filming miniature of the Enterprise-D built at the start of the 3rd season for Star Trek: TNG ...
This communicator was carefully restored by Greg Jein so that it would once again appear as it did in the late '60s during the filming of TOS on the Desilu soundstages. In addition to some cleaning, the circular moire display was repaired and a missing control knob was replaced. Below is an image that shows the condition of this prop prior to its restoration ...