American Adding Machine, Model 0
date: label: date made
content: 1914
name: label: maker
content: American Can Company Adding Machine Division
notes: label: Description
content: This lever set non-printing manually operated adding machine has an etched steel case painted black. Seven levers move in circular arcs between slots in the case. The case is painted along the edges of the slots with the digits from 0 to 9 (large and in black and white) and 9 to 0 (small and in red). The large digits are used for addition, the small ones for subtraction. A corrugation or depression in the cover is found at the place of each digit. Digits are set by placing the index finger in the corresponding depression and raising the lever by the thumb until it is stopped by the finger. They are entered by moving down a metal handle with a wooden knob on the right side. The result appears in seven windows above the levers. Rotating a knob on the left side of the machine transforms the action of the handle from addition to zeroing. Another handle on the right side zeros digits set incorrectly. The machine has four rubber feet.
label: Description
content: The machine is marked on a plaque attached to the front: AMERICAN (/) ADDING MACHINE (/) AMERICAN CAN COMPANY (/) ADDING MACHINE DIVISION (/) CHICAGO, ILL. No 1153. It is also marked there: PAT. AUG. 27, 1912 (/) OTHER PATS. PEND.
label: Description
content: By mid-1922, American Adding Machines were made by the American Adding Machine Company of Chicago. Compare MA.333921.
label: Description
content: References:
label: Description
content: J. H. McCarthy, <I>The American Digest of Business Machines</I>, Chicago: American Exchange Service, 1924, pp. 27, 518.
label: Description
content: Jervis R. Harbeck, "Adding-Machine," U.S. Patent 1,036,614, August 27, 1912.
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
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content: Science & Mathematics
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Gift of Victor Comptometer Corporation
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of American History
identifier: label: ID Number
content: MA.323606
label: accession number
content: 250163
label: maker number
content: 1153
label: catalog number
content: 323606
objectType: label: Object Name
content: adding machine
physicalDescription: label: Physical Description
content: rubber (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: steel (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: wood (overall material)
label: Physical Description
content: aluminum (overall material)
label: Measurements
content: overall: 20.2 cm x 19 cm x 24 cm; 7 15/16 in x 7 15/32 in x 9 7/16 in