This communicator was put up for sale in a 2001 Profiles In History auction by Set Decorator John Dwyer, being one of four comms he recovered in 1969 from a studio dumpster.  Paul G. Allen, investor, philanthropist, and co-founder of Microsoft, became its current owner once he became the highest bidder.  His acquisition, along with other priceless Star Trek (tricorder, McCoy's med scanner, THE Captain's Chair, costumes, phasers, etc.) and science fiction memorabilia is now on display at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame in Seattle, WA, as part of the Paul Allen Family Collection.  Delta is the only authentic communicator viewable to the general public.  You have got to go!  We display these photos at the grace of Mr. Allen and the museum.  Thanks!

An odd set of partial grooves were carved into the hinge wheels.  These are not seen in any others, and it can only be surmised to be from two possible sources:  1) they were the result of errant impressions from the lathe bit during the cutting (although they are both coincidentally positioned the same), or 2) they were carved over time by the aluminum midplate, which might have had slots for the wheels cut too close.  We favor the second possibility, as the grooves do not go the full circumference around.

You will notice two differences between how it looked in the series vs. now.  Firstly, the center jewel has fallen off, or more specifically, the glass portion of the flatback rhinestone has separated from its mirror backing, which remains glued to the top of the center hub.  This apparently occurred between the auction and display.  We do not know if the glass was lost.

Secondly, the antenna now sits askew.  It is not bent.  The hinge axle rod has been dislodged from the epoxy that held it to the inside of the shell.  When the antenna is closed, it can be oriented properly, but it does not stay in line once swung open.  Since the shell is glued closed, a repair that does not cause further damage would be difficult at best.

Two other oddities about this version over the other known originals... the orientation of the mic grill has the diamond impression tips pointed down into the prop (concave) rather than upward (convex).  Also it has the dimple impressions on the bottom shell intended for screws, but no holes were ever drilled, so this has been glued together since first made.  This feature makes it especially easy to ID Delta from screen caps.

We have written prior about the curious moiré bezel ring, which has a thicker rim than any other, plus absent any side grooves.  It looks to be almost raw pipe, which suggests a Desilu prop-shop replacement.  However, given a wavy moiré image only Wah Chang would have known about, we cannot be confident in this assumption.  If any repairs were made, they were done by the first season in time for its big appearance in This Side of Paradise.

Delta was owned for 32 continuous years by Star Trek Set Decorator John Dwyer, who held on to it after the show ended.  Mr. Dwyer allowed it to be photographed by various hobbyists prior to his selling it...

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