A List of Telegraphic Codes

I am slowly compiling a list of telegraphic codes.  It began with a post here and has led to my acquisition of several more books which will lead inevitably to more research. Longer term I'd like to create a word-to phrase database correlating phrases to codebook(s). But with my current access to consumer grade OCR technology that seems like a pipe dream.  Until then I'll keep acquiring and listing.


ABC Universal Commercial Code [LINK]
Adam's Cable Codex
Anderson's Expert Cypher Words
Anglo-American Cable Code
Anglo-International Cable Code
Atlantic Cable Directory
Atlantic Cotton Telegraph Code
Atlas Universal Travelers' Telegraphic Cipher Code
Ager's Shipping Telegram Code [LINK]
Ager's Standard Telegram Code
Ager's Alphabetical Telegram Code
American Railway Association Standard Cipher Code
Australian railway telegraphic code
AYZ Telegram Code
Broomhall's Comprehensive Cipher Code
Baltimore Export Cable Code
Bedford McNeil's Mining and General Telegraphic Code
Beith's 10-Letter Combinations 
Bentley's Complete Phrase Code [LINK]
Bennett's Cypher Code for Steamship Owners and Brokers
Bentley's Baltic and White Sea Code [LINK]
Berne's Official Vocabulary
Bi-Literal Telegraph Cipher for Code Messages
Billionaire Phrase Code
Bink's Cut-Rate Cable Code
Bishop's Travellers Telegraph Code
Bloomer's Commercial Cryptograph [LINK]
Brentano’s Telegraph and Cable Code [LINK]
British and Foreign Trade Shipping Code
Broomhall Miniature Code
Century Standard Code
Cheeseborough Private Telegraphic Code
Chestnutt, Cooper & Co. Bristle Code
Clare's Telegraphic Code for Black Sea and Mediterranean Trade
Clauson-Thue A.B.C. Universal Commercial Electric Telegraphic Code
Clauson-Thue A1 Universal Commercial Electric Telegraphic Code
Corby's Code for Drapers
Cosmopolitan Code
Cornforth Telegraphic Code
Crossley's Cable Code
Cook's Unicode
Dieckelmann's Code
D.M. Ferry & Co Wholesale Trade List & Telegraphic Code [LINK]
Dunn's Cypher Code
Durst Telegraphic Code
Figure Code for Stocks and Shares
Gallesi's Commercial Telegraphic Code
Gerrish System Telegraphic Cipher Code 
Gilburt's Tourists Telegraphic Code
Globe Commercial Telegraph Code [LINK]
Glover Brothers Telegraphic Code
Grain Trade Standard Code
Great Western Railway Telegraphic Code
Hamilton's Telegraphic Code of Numeral Quotations
Hancock Telegraph Code
Hartfield's Wall Street Code
Harvey's Cosmopolitan Cable Code
Hawke's Tables for Telegraphing
Hawke's Inland and Foreign Telegram Code
Hawke's Maximum Cyphers
Heath Telegraphic Cipher [LINK]
Heath & Finnemore Private Telegraphic Code
Hendiploun, a Telegraphic Code
Herbert's Universal-Simplex Code System
Hinrich's Shipbrokers' and Steamship Cable Code
Igha Telegraph Code and Tables
Ironscrap Telegraph Code
International Telegraphic Code
Jeweller's Telegraphic Code
Jones's Universal Shipping Telegraph Code
Jones & Laughlins Private Telegraph Code
Kraipnos Telegraphic Shorthand
Keegan's International Three-Letter Code
Kerr & Gordon Private Cipher Code
Kendell's Figure Cypher Code
Kolkenbeck's Ideal Code Condenser
Laurie's Universal Code
Lawrie's Pocket Telegraphic Code
Leiber's Standard Telegraph Code [LINK]
Lieber's 5-letter Code [LINK]
Leviathan Cable Code
Longford Wire Cable Code
Low's Pocket Cable Code
Lumberman's Standard Telegraphic Code  [LINK]
Maguire’s Code of Ciphers
Mackay's One Word Telegraph Code
Manchester Piece Goods and General Phrase Code
Massey-Harris Telegraphic Code
McNeill’s Code [LINK]
McNichol's Nine Figure Code
Mercury Code
Meyer's Atlantic Cotton Code
Meyer's Anglo-American Cotton Code
Meyer's Commercial Telegraph Code 
Meyer's International Mercantile Telegraph Code
Murray's Insurance and Maritime Telegraphic Code
Marconi International Code
Miners and Smelters Code (aka Master telegraph Code)
Mitchell's Code
Montgomery Code
Moreing & McCutcheon's General Commercial and Mining Telegram Code
Moreing & Neal's New General and Mining Telegraph Code
Musgrove Private Telegraphic Code
National Tube Works Pocket Companion Telegraphic Code
Nattini Codice Telegráfico Commerciale e Mercantile
Pain's Directory Code
Pacific Railway Company Private Mining & Metallurgical Telegraphic Cipher Code
Parker's Economical Code for Piece Goods Code (aka Parker’s Combination Code)
Patakys Telegraphic Code
Penny's Cipher Code
Perfect Cypher Code
Peycke's Abbreviation Key [LINK]
Peycke's Ekonomik Telegraphic Cipher Code
Phillip's Telegraphic Code for Rapid Transmission [LINK]
Pieron's Code Condenser
Piggott's Cable Code
Premier Cypher Telegraphic Code [LINK]
Prentice's Cable Code
Private Cable Code for the Timber Trade by Price and Peirce [LINK]
Repetition Code
Riverside Code
Rohde's Code Words and Terminal Key
Ross-Moss Phrase and Combination Code
Everybody's Pocket Code by W.M. Saunders
Scattergood's Fruit Merchants Cable Code
Scott's Shipowners' Telegraphic Code [LINK]
Schnore's Telegraphic Code
Shepperson's Telegraphic Cipher Code (cotton trade)  [LINK]
Simplex Telegraphic Code
Slater's Telegraph Code [LINK]
Southard & Co.'s Telegraphic Cypher
Spalding’s Telegram Guide [LINK]
Standard Shipping Code
Steven's Engineering Telegraph Code
Stewart's Five Letter Telegraph Code
Stockbrokers Telegraph Code
Stoneham & Co. Stock Market Telegraphic Mining Code
Sutherlands K.K. the Complete Code
Swift's Private Telegraphic Code
Tahl's Telegraphic Code
Timber Trades Universal Code
Timber Trades Journal New Zebra Code
Tracey's Tenmil Code 
Tybo Code
Unicode Universal Phrase Book [LINK]
Universal Alphabetical Figure and Column Cable Code
Universal Shipping Telegraph Code
V.A.J. Figure Code for Stocks
Victoria Code
Vicker's Mariners and Family Cable Code
Voller's 12-Figure System
Voller's 9-Figure System
Victorian Railways' Telegraph Code Book [LINK]
Watkins' Code, 1881 (aka Shipbrokers' Telegraphic Code)
Watt's Telegraphic Cypher (multiple editions)
Watkins' Universal Shipping Code (multiple editions)
Watson Cable Code
Wray's Telegraphic Code
Western Union (Five Letter)
Wetmore's Commercial Telegraphic Code
Western Union Telegraphic Code and International Cable
Whitelaw's Telegraphic Cyphers with Terminal Order
Widebrook's Code
Williams & Brown Private Telegraphic Code
Wilson's Ship Brokers Telegraph Code [LINK]
Whitelaw's  Telegraph Cyphers
Whittingham’s Skeleton Telegraph Code [LINK]
Wilson's Shipbrokers' Code
Wood's Bohemian Telegraph Code
U.S. Steel Corporation Private Telegraphic Code

3 comments:

  1. I recently came across a 1920s-era transcribed telegraphic message comprised of 5-letter words. Sample text is "sanvi nahny nomto" Each word has two vowels, in the 2nd and 5th position. Any insight as to what this might be?

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    Replies
    1. Can you provide more of the text? A scan perhaps of the entire message? Is it on a cable or telegraph form?

      These are almost definitely code words from a large commercial (or a company private code). I searched through the PDFs I have of the most likely codes (in my collection) and did not find any matches.

      Delete
  2. That could be a lot of things. It could just be keying practice. It could be telegraphic codes, but we'd need a bigger sample. Liebèr's five letter code might be a candidate. But if you want to get more spooky, the Committee for the Study of Code Language published a bit about 5-letter codes back in the 1920s. Or it could be blocks of OTP, which is basically unbreakable without the key.

    ReplyDelete