VGC Marchant XLA Mechanical Calculator, S/N XLA - 2290 RARE
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:14665 | Maker: Marchant |
Up for bid here is a Marchant XLA Mechanical Calculator circa 1928.S/N XLA-2290
All key caps and settings pin ends are in place. Most of the models I've seen around are missing more than a few.
All in all, I would say that this calculator is an 8 or 9 on a scale of 10 with 10 being perfect. All functionality seems to be intact.
According to the brief research i've done on this model, it seems to be SUPER RARE as they were only made for a few years... in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Below i've copied what i found online for your information.
DESCRIPTION
This lever-set, non-printing manually operated pinwheel calculatingmachine has a metal housing and metal base, both painted black. Thenine levers for setting entries are topped with red or white plasticcovers. A bar in front of the levers can be raised to zero them(there is no entry register). The steel operating crank with woodenhandle extends from the right side of the machine. It rotatesbackward (clockwise) for addition and multiplication and forward(counterclockwise) for subtraction and division.
At the front of the machine is a movable carriage with 13 windowsthat show dials of the result register on the right and nine windowsfor the revolution register on the left. Dials in the revolutionregister are black for addition and red for subtraction. Decimalmarkers slide above both of these registers and above the settinglevers. Moving a sturdy brass lever at the front shifts thecarriage. A zeroing lever on the right side of the carriage zerosthe result register when turned clockwise, and the revolutionregister when turned counterclockwise. The machine has a metal basewith worn rubber feet, but has no cover.
A triangular metal tag attached left of the levers reads: MARCHANT(/) CALCULATORS (/) SIMPLICITY (/) ACCURACY (/) SPEED. A worn papertag glued to the back of the machine reads: MANUFACTURED BY (/)MARCHANT CALCULATING MACHINE (/) OAKLAND CALIFORNIA U.S.A. (/)PATENTED IN UNITED STATES & FOREIGN COUNTRIES (/) UNITED STATES[. . .] 76, 197 DEC 4. 1923 (/) AUSTRALIA 5, 861 March 2. 1922 (/)CANADA 239, 984 MAY 13. 1924 (/) CHILE 4, 884 OCT 18. 1922 (/) GREATBRITAIN 185, 852 June 14. 1921 (/) HOLLAND & COLONIES 11, 299April 16. 1924 (/) JAPAN 40, 871 NOV. 30 1921 (/) SOUTH AFRICA 78 JAN27. 1922 (/) OTHER UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN PATENTS (/) ISSUED ANDPENDING.
According to MarchantMath-Mechanics, a publicationfor the sales staff of Marchant, the model XLA was introduced in1928 as a relatively inexpensive calculating machine that could beplaced “on every desk.” It cost $125, and had a smaller capacitythan the model XL. The experiment proved unsuccessful, and themachine was discontinued in 1931.
All key caps and settings pin ends are in place. Most of the models I've seen around are missing more than a few.
All in all, I would say that this calculator is an 8 or 9 on a scale of 10 with 10 being perfect. All functionality seems to be intact.
According to the brief research i've done on this model, it seems to be SUPER RARE as they were only made for a few years... in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Below i've copied what i found online for your information.
DESCRIPTION
This lever-set, non-printing manually operated pinwheel calculatingmachine has a metal housing and metal base, both painted black. Thenine levers for setting entries are topped with red or white plasticcovers. A bar in front of the levers can be raised to zero them(there is no entry register). The steel operating crank with woodenhandle extends from the right side of the machine. It rotatesbackward (clockwise) for addition and multiplication and forward(counterclockwise) for subtraction and division.
At the front of the machine is a movable carriage with 13 windowsthat show dials of the result register on the right and nine windowsfor the revolution register on the left. Dials in the revolutionregister are black for addition and red for subtraction. Decimalmarkers slide above both of these registers and above the settinglevers. Moving a sturdy brass lever at the front shifts thecarriage. A zeroing lever on the right side of the carriage zerosthe result register when turned clockwise, and the revolutionregister when turned counterclockwise. The machine has a metal basewith worn rubber feet, but has no cover.
A triangular metal tag attached left of the levers reads: MARCHANT(/) CALCULATORS (/) SIMPLICITY (/) ACCURACY (/) SPEED. A worn papertag glued to the back of the machine reads: MANUFACTURED BY (/)MARCHANT CALCULATING MACHINE (/) OAKLAND CALIFORNIA U.S.A. (/)PATENTED IN UNITED STATES & FOREIGN COUNTRIES (/) UNITED STATES[. . .] 76, 197 DEC 4. 1923 (/) AUSTRALIA 5, 861 March 2. 1922 (/)CANADA 239, 984 MAY 13. 1924 (/) CHILE 4, 884 OCT 18. 1922 (/) GREATBRITAIN 185, 852 June 14. 1921 (/) HOLLAND & COLONIES 11, 299April 16. 1924 (/) JAPAN 40, 871 NOV. 30 1921 (/) SOUTH AFRICA 78 JAN27. 1922 (/) OTHER UNITED STATES AND FOREIGN PATENTS (/) ISSUED ANDPENDING.
According to MarchantMath-Mechanics, a publicationfor the sales staff of Marchant, the model XLA was introduced in1928 as a relatively inexpensive calculating machine that could beplaced “on every desk.” It cost $125, and had a smaller capacitythan the model XL. The experiment proved unsuccessful, and themachine was discontinued in 1931.
