Comptometer - Wooden Box Model
date: label: date made
content: 1898
name: label: maker
content: Felt & Tarrant Manufacturing Company
notes: label: Description
content: This key-driven non-printing adding machine has a metal mechanism, steel keys with German silver and plastic key tops, and steel dials at the front that record the result. It is a production model of the Comptometer made by Felt & Tarrant Company of Chicago during its early years.
label: Description
content: The eight columns of keys have nine keys each. Celluloid discs in the key tops are color-coded to mark off dollars and cents. Complementary digits are indicated on the discs, to aid in subtraction. The key tops are alternately concave (odd digits) and flat (even digits). There is a spring around each key stem. Eight levers above the dials serve as decimal markers. Nine windows at the front of the machine reveal the result.
label: Description
content: A metal piece to the left of each “1” key is moved to prevent carrying when the complementary digits are used for subtraction. Depressing a lever on the right side of the machine allows one to turn a nearby knob and zero the number dials.
label: Description
content: The serial number, indicated in the front center of the machine under the decimal markers, is 1876. A second mark, on a metal tag screwed to the machine in back of the keyboard, reads: TRADE COMPTOMETER MARK (/) PAT’D (/) JUL.19.87 JUN. 11. 89. (/) OCT.11.87 NOV.25.90 (/) JAN.8.89 DEC.15.91. (/) Felt & Tarrant Mfg. Co. (/) CHICAGO.
label: Description
content: This machine was transferred to the Smithsonian from the U.S. Geological Survey in 1908.
label: Description
content: Reference:
label: Description
content: 1991.3107.06 (Catalog of the Felt & Tarrant collection).
label: Location
content: Currently not on view
place: label: place made
content: United States: Illinois, Chicago
topic: label: Subject
content: Mathematics
setName: label: See more items in
content: Medicine and Science: Mathematics
label: See more items in
content: Adding Machines
label: See more items in
content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Transfer from US Geological Survey
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.248688
label: maker number
content: 1876
label: catalog number
content: 248688
label: accession number
content: 48341
objectType: label: Object Name
content: adding machine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: cherry wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: metal (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: plastic (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 15.7 cm x 21 cm x 38.4 cm; 6 3/16 in x 8 9/32 in x 15 1/8 in