Burroughs Moon-Hopkins Style 7205 Bookkeeping Machine on Stand
date: label: date made
content: 1923
name: label: maker
content: Burroughs Adding Machine Company
notes: label: Description
content: In 1904 St. Louis machinist and inventor Hubert Hopkins applied for a patent for a “multiplying and typewriting machine.” This was the first of several related patents. With the backing of local businessman John C. Moon, he soon organized the Moon-Hopkins Billing Machine Company and had a commercial machine manufactured and out on trial by 1908. Business success proved elusive, and after extensive negotiations, the Burroughs Adding Machine Company purchased rights to the machine in 1921. This is a Burroughs version of the Moon-Hopkins.
label: Description
content: The machine sits on a metal stand painted black (the dimensions of the machine are about 43.2 cm. w. x 60.5 cm. d. x 74.2 cm. h. – overall dimensions are 50 cm. w. x 63.5 cm. d. x 104 cm. h.) It has a metal frame and back, with glass sides. The keys have a white background, with numbers and letters apparently printed on plastic.
label: Description
content: The machine has two rows of keys, with ten keys in each row, at the front. These keys are numbered to form two sets of number keys. Various function keys are on the left side and at the front. Behind and above the numeral keys is another bar, and then four rows of letter and number keys as on a typewriter keyboard. Above these is a row of four keys numbered from 1 to 4. To the left of the letter keys are ribbon shift, margin release, shift lock, and shift key non-print keys. To the right of the letter keys are point off, decimal discount, and carriage-return keys. Above the keyboard is a “REG. [/] TRIP” key. It is attached to a pointer that can point to 1, 2, or 3.
label: Description
content: Behind the keys is a wide carriage, behind which is a narrow carriage with paper tape. The motor fits under the machine.
label: Description
content: A mark on the top of the machine reads: Burroughs (/) Moon-Hopkins (/) THIS MACHINE PROTECTED BY U.S. AND FOREIGN PATENTS. The serial number, visible on a plate on the left side, is: 7-823880.
label: Description
content: This object was lent to the Smithsonian by Burroughs Adding Machine Company in 1924. It was donated to the Museum by Unisys Corporation in 2011.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: P. A. Kidwell, “The Adding Machine Fraternity at St. Louis: Creating a Center of Invention, 1880–1920.” <I>IEEE Annals of the History of cComputing</I>, 22 #2 (April-June 2000), pp. 14–17.
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Michigan, Detroit
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
label: Subject
content: Business
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
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content: Bookkeeping Machines
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Unisys Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.308347
label: catalog number
content: 308347
label: maker number
content: 7-823880
label: accession number
content: 2011.0264
objectType: label: Object Name
content: bookkeeping machine on stand
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: glass (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 74.2 cm x 43.2 cm x 60.5 cm; 29 7/32 in x 17 in x 23 13/16 in