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| Antique Adding and Calculating Machines |
Adders
and Small Calculating Devices
20th Century Eastern
European Office with Two Abacuses
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a large number of relatively inexpensive machines were marketed to businesses and others for use in performing simple addition and subtraction. In principle, these adders and other devices could also be used for multiplication by repetitive addition and for division by repetitive subtraction. Numbers were typically entered by using a stylus to move a dial or slide. Most of the handheld devices sold for $5 to $25. Two simple desktop machines were $35 and $50.
To be precise, some of the devices shown here are not adders. Peggy Kidwell, "Adders Made and Used in the United States," Rittenhouse 1994, pp. 78-98, states: "An adder...is a computing device that has parts moved to record the results of arithmetic problems but that does not actually contain a mechanism to do arithmetic....Those who made and sold adders often called them adding machines, calculating machines, or personal calculators. At the same time, some machines sold as adders were in fact adding machines." See also P. Kidwell, "'Yours for Improvement'--The Adding Machines of Chicago, 1884-1930," IEEE Annals of the History of Computing, July-Sept. 2001, pp. 3-21.
| Handheld and Other Small Devices | Image Click to Enlarge |
| Wilhelm Schickard Calculator
(replica) 1623 Germany |
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| Calculator 19th Century France |
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| La Multi Calculator 19th Century France |
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| Nystrom's Calculator Invented 1848 ~ Patented 1851 ~ Advertised 1851-52 J. W. Nystrom Philadelphia, PA Based on logarithms, but promoted for use in addition and subtraction as well as multiplication and division. "The merchant will find this calculating machine to be all they desire." $10, $15, and $20 models in $1852. |
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| Hatfield Adder Patented 1854 A. L. Hatfield Lewisburg, PA |
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| Fowler's Patent Adding Machine Patented July 14, 1863 by George B. Fowler ~ Advertised 1863, reported to be on market 1869 Geo. B. Fowler & Co., Chicago, IL, and New York, NY Fowler Adding Machine Co., New York, NY 1863 Price $5 "The Book-Keeper and Accountant's Friend. Used in the counting house for adding up columns in the ledger." The Universal Adding Machine, patented 1890 by Geo. B. Fowler, advertised 1892 and c. 1897, and sold by the Universal Adding Machine Co., NY, NY, for $8, was an improvement with essentially same appearance. Slide bar adder |
 1869 ad. Courtesy of the Museum of Business History and Technology   |
| Webb Adder Patented 1868 & 1889 ~ Introduced 1868 ~ Advertised 1869-70 & 1889-93 C. H. Webb, New York, NY (1868-69) Webb Adding Machine Co., New York, NY (1869) Webb's Adder Co., New York, NY (1890-91) 1869 Price $6-$10; 1890-92 Price $7 "It carries up the columns of a ledger account, two at a time, with speed and mechanical accuracy." (1869 ad) The model advertised in 1869 (top photo at right) was based on the 1868 patent. The model advertised in 1889-91 (lower photo at right) was a modification based on the 1889 patent. |
 Patented 1868  Patented 1889 Courtesy Larry Wilhelm |
| Improved Calculator Patented 1868 Conkey & Loomis, Springfield, MA Peggy Aldrich Kidwell reports that an example of this circular adder is in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution. |
No image available. |
| Walker's Adding Machine, the
Addist Advertised 1869 R. H. Walker New York, NY |
Insert
Image LOC 2/12/09 |
| Groesbeck's Calculating
Machine Patented 1870 Ziegler & McCurdy Philadelphia, PA Top photograph courtesy of Larry Wilhelm |
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| Perfection Adding Machine (a.k.a.
Universal Adding Machine, Stephenson Adding Machine) Patented 1873 ~ Advertised 1890-1929 Whiton Mfg. Co., Buffalo, NY (Stephenson's,1890) Fowler & Wells Co., New York, NY (1893, 1898) M. E. Oakley, Cincinnati, OH (1896) W. B. Clark Manufacturing Co., Cincinnati, OH (1899) Cincinnati Specialty Mfg. Co., Cincinnati, OH A. M. Stephenson, Beardstown, IL Stephenson & Co., Joliet, OH (1899) A. M. Stephenson, Joliet, OH 1893-99 Price $1.50; 1902 Price $0.98 (Sears) Cogged wheel disk-type adder The Mindling Vest Pocket Adding Machine, patented in 1926 and manufactured by G. N. Mindling, Pittsburgh, PA, is virtually identical. It sold for $1.85. |
 A.M. Stephenson, Beardstown, IL  A.M. Stephenson, Joliet, IL. Also made with nickel-plating |
| Baldwin's Arithmometer Frank S. Baldwin U.S. |
 Courtesy of the Museum of Business History and Technology. |
| Tachylemme 1876 C. L Chambon France |
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| Field's Adding and Counting
Register Patented 1878 ~ Advertised 1884-87 Clague, Wegman, Schlicht & Field (1884) Clague, Schlicht, & Field (c.1885) Schlicht & Field (1887) Rochester, NY c. 1885 Price $2 |
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| Hart's Mercantile Computing
Machine Patented 1878 Scovill Mfg. Co. Waterbury, CT |
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| Champion Adding Machine Advertised 1881 Underwood & Co. Grand Rapids, MI |
No image available |
| Spalding Adding Machine (a.k.a. Surprise Adder) Patented 1874-84 ~ Advertised 1887, 1890, 1898 C. G. Spalding,Springfield, MA (1887) J. R. Anderson & Co, Nassau, NY (1890) The Surprise Co., New Haven, CT (1898) 1898 Price $12.50 |
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| Madden Adding Machine
(a.k.a. Bouchet Adding Machine) Patented 1882-85 ~ Advertised 1887-1890 (Madden) M. F. Madden & Co., U.S. (1887) W. Mann & Son, New York, NY (1890) 1887 Price $15 |
 Bouchet Adding Machine Courtesy of Bob Otnes Add image from Office 1/87 |
| Ribbon Adder Invented 1886 ~ Patented by Charles Henry Webb 1891 ~ Advertised 1893 The Ribbon Adder New York, NY 1893 Price $15 Continuous band adder |
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| Hand Tallying Register
(a.k.a. Benton's Tally Register) Benton Mfg. Co., New York, NY Advertised 1889, 1913, 1930 U.S. |
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| Adding Register Listed in product directory 1890 Office Specialty Mfg Co, Rochester, NY |
No image available |
| Landin's Computer (a.k.a.
Rapid Computer, Comptator, B.U.G.) Patented 1892 ~ Advertised 1890-1895 (Landin's Computer), 1901-15 (Rapid Computer), 1927 (Comptator, advertised in Germany) Landin Computer Co, Minneapolis, MN (1890-95) Rapid Computer Co., Minneapolis, MN (1901-06), Benton Harbor, MI (1906-15), Baker-Vawter Co., Benton Harbor, MI Hans Sabielny, Dresden, Germany (c. 1920s) Schubert & Salzer, Chemnitz, Germany (c. 1920s) 1902-15 Price $25 "Thousands in use" claimed in 1915 ad. (System, Mar. 1915 Slide-chain adder operated with stylus See Kidwell (2001) |
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| Centigraph Patented 1891 ~ Advertised 1891-92, 1903 American Adding Machine Co. Atlanta, GA "Saves Brain Fag" (1903) |
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| Addometer Patented 1893 ~ Marketed sometime in the 1890s Gubelman Manufacturing Co. Buffalo, NY |
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| Perfection Adder Patented 1894 Atlanta Novelty Manufacturing Co. Atlanta, GA |
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| Perfection Self-Adding Ruler Patented 1895 Columbia Novelty Co. New York, NY |
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| Biglow's Adding Register (a.k.a.
Bigelow Adding Register) Patented 1897 ~ Advertised 1899-1900 M. H. Biglow, Ontario, NY (1899) Bigelow Bros., Ontario, NY (1900) 1899 Price $1.50 |
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| Goldman's Arithmachine (a.k.a.
Goldman's Arithstyle, Contostyle)
Introduced 1898 ~ Patented 1899-1910 ~ Advertised 1898-1900 Office Men's Record Co., Chicago, IL (1898-99) International Arithmachine Co., Chicago, IL (1899-1902) Gesellschaft für Maschinenbau GmbH, Berlin, Germany (c. 1905-1911) Arithstyle Co., New York, NY (System, Sept. 1913) c.1899 Price $24-$48 Chain-driven adder See Kidwell (2001) |
 Goldman's Arithmachine, illustration from 1898 instruction book. Courtesy of the Museum of Business History and Technology.  Patent Dates 1899-1910 |
| The Adder (a.k.a. Lightning
Adding Machine, Lightning Calculator, Victor Adder, Victor Calculator, Beach
Adder) Patented 1889 ~ Advertised 1900-02 The Book-Keeper Publishing Co., Ltd., Detroit, MI 1900-01 Price $3-$5, 1902 Price $4. This device is virtually identical, if not identical, to (1) the Webb Adder that is based on the 1889 patent; (2) the Adder advertised by E. R. Beach, New York, NY, in 1896 for $5, which also sold for $3.50; and (3) the Victor Adder or Calculator advertised by A. A. Weeks Mfg. Co., New York, NY, in 1905-10 for $5. |
 Lightning Adding Machine  Beach Adder |
| Locke Adder Patented 1901-05 ~ Advertised 1900-08 C. E. Locke Manufacturing Co., Kensett, IA 1901-05 Price $5; 1906 Price $5 (oxidized copper finish) and $10 (oxidized silver finish with case); 1908 Price $5 & $10 Slide bar adder The similar Excelsior Adding Machine was advertised in 1904-05 by the McCarthy Mfg. Co., Parkersburg, IA. (System, 1904) |
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| McComber's Instantaneous
Calculator Advertised 1903-04 McComber Calculator Co., Chicago, IL (1903) Instantaneous Calculator, Chicago, IL (1904) 1903 Price $0.50, 1904 Price $1 Cardboard disks with a pointer. bk04.97 |
Insert image from System 1904 |
| Adix 1903-05 ~ Advertised 1910 Adix Co., Pallweber & Bordt Mannheim, Germany |
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| Calcumeter Patented 1901 ~ Advertised 1903-14 The Morse & Walsh Co., Trenton NJ (Walsh was the inventor) Herbert North Morse, Trenton, NJ Made with 5 to 12 dials. A 5-dial machine was $10. Each additional dial cost $5, so the 12-dial machine was $45. Stylus-driven cogged wheel adder. 35 models in 1907. "Over 25,000 in use on Jan. 1, 1907." 1908-10 ads claimed "55,000 satisfied users." 1910 ads also claimed "60,000 in use." 1911 ads claimed 70,000 sold. 1913 ad claimed 100,000 users. At some point, a reset dial was added, and the machine was sold as the Standard Desk Calcumeter. |
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| Omega Calculating Machine 1904 Justin Bamberger Munich, Germany |
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| Betts Adder Marketed 1905 The Betts Adder& Manufacturing Co. Detroit, MI Dial adding machine operated with a stylus. |
No image available. |
| Bonham Adding and
Calculating Machine Patented 1905 ~ Marketed 1905 Bonham & Schram Chicago, IL |
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| Platt Keyless Marketed 1905 Platt Keyless Adding Machine Co. Cleveland, OH |
No image available |
| Automatic Adding Machine (a.k.a. Gem Adding Machine, Golden Gem Portable Adding Machine) Patented 1904-07 ~ Marketed "Since 1904" ~ Advertised 1906-41 Automatic Adding Machine Co., NY, NY The Automatic and the Gem were sold at the same time. The $15 Gem had a resetting device while the $10 Automatic did not. Number of columns ranged from 5 to 9, or perhaps more widely. 1906-18 Price $10-$15. 1909 Price with wood case $25, 1910 Price with wood case $20. 1924 Price $15-$25. Slide-chain adder. 1907-08 ads stated, "Over 15,000 in use." 1913-14 ads stated, "Over 80,000 in use." 1915-18 ads stated, "Over 100,000 in use."(System, Jan. 1915.) |
 Courtesy of the Museum of Business History and Technology  8 columns  Wood case, 1909-10  5 columns |
| Eagle Adding Machine Patented 190x ~ Advertised 1906 Eagle Adding Machine Co. New York, NY 1906 Price $5 The 1906 ad shows a patent date of 190_ (last digit illegible) |
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| Century Pocket Register Advertised 1905-06 The Century Register Co., Port Huron, MI 1905 Price $0.25 |
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| Dilworth Adder Advertised 1906 Dilworth Adder Co., Pittsburg, PA 1906 Price $1 |
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| Jeffers Calculator Advertised 1908 H. W. Jeffers Plainsboro, NJ |
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| Thatcher's Calculating
Instrument Advertised 1908 Keuffel & Esser Co. Chicago, IL 1908 Price $35 Advertised for multiplication and division. |
Image coming |
| Calculus Testimonials dated 1908-09 ~ Advertised 1910 The James J. Hinde Co. Cleveland, OH The calculus was a form of slide rule, which used logarithms to carry out multiplication and division. It was advertised in business publications and was used by at least some companies. |
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| Bassett Adder
(a.k.a. Clark's New Adder, ) Advertised 1909-38 Glenn C. Clark Manufacturing Co., Chicago, IL (1909) (Clark's New Adder) Commercial Specialty Agency, Chicago, IL (1910) ($1.00 Adder) J. H. Bassett & Co., Chicago, IL (Bassett, 1910-17, 1935) Timesaver Co., Chicago, IL (Speed, 1911) Johnson Smith & Co., Racine, WI (Bassett, 1926, 1938) 1910 Price $1 (Bassett, $1.00 Adder), 1911 Price $1-$3.75 (Bassett), $1 (Speed) 1914-15 Price $2-$3.50 (Bassett), 1938 Price $3.75 Continuous band adder. At the beginning of 1915, an ad claimed "Many thousands sold." (System, Jan. 1915.) |
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| Optima
Calculator 1910 (?) Albert Hauff (distributor?) Berlin-Halensee Germany |
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| Lightning Calculator Advertised 1913 Phelps Specialty Co. Caro, MI 1913 Price $5 |
[Insert photo of common
Lightning adder] [See below for 1947 model.] |
| Graber Adder Advertised 1911 Graber Calculating Machine Co. New York, NY 1911 Price $15 |
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| Bri-Cal Calculator Exhibited 1914 in Scotland British Calculator, Ltd. U.K. |
  Model C |
| Calculator Sold 1915 The Calculator Corp. Grand Rapids, MI |
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| Ray Subtractor-Adder (a.k.a.
Ray Adding Machine, Figuraytor)
Advertised 1916-24 Ray Subtractor-Adder Co., Richmond, VA (1916-17) Ray Adding Machine Co., NY, NY (1920-24) 1916 Price $15. 1917-24 Price $25. Stylus-driven cogged wheel adder |
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| Addo Adding Machine 1918 Malmo, Sweden |
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| Small Pocket Calculator Patented 1918 Small Calculator Co. Waltham, MA |
 Images courtesy of the Museum of Business History and Technology [Add photo MBHT folder] |
| Lightning Adding Machine Sold 1947 The Lightning Adding Machine Co. Inc. Los Angeles, CA |
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