Vintage Felt Tarrant Comptometer Adding Machine
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:3871746 | Featured Refinements: Vintage Adding Machine |
| Maker: Felt Tarrant |
Vintage, non-working, Felt Tarrant ComptometerFrom our research, this appears to be either a model H, J or ST. These versions were made from the 1920's up to the mid-1940's Missing the far left 3/6 buttonRight lever is lockedNone of the buttons stickOutside case is clean, no holes or rust
From the web:
The comptometer was thefirst commercially successful key-driven mechanical calculator, patented in theUnited States by Dorr E. Felt in 1887.
A key-driven calculatoris extre...mely fast because each key adds or subtracts its value to theaccumulator as soon as it is pressed and a skilled operator can enter all ofthe digits of a number simultaneously, using as many fingers as required, making them sometimes faster to use than electronic calculators. Consequently, in specialized applications, comptometers remained in use in limited numbersinto the early 1990s, but with the exception of museum pieces, they have allnow been superseded by electronic calculators and computers.
Manufactured withoutinterruption from 1887 to the mid-1970s, it was constantly improved. Themechanical versions were made faster and more reliable, then a line ofelectro-mechanical models was added in the 1930s. It was the first mechanicalcalculator to receive an all-electronic calculator engine in 1961, with theANITA Mark VII model released by Sumlock Comptometer. This created the linkbetween the mechanical calculator industries and the electronic.
Although thecomptometer was primarily an adding machine, it could also do subtractions, multiplication and division. Its keyboard consisted of eight or more columns ofnine keys each. Special comptometers with varying key arrays were produced fora variety of special purposes, including calculating currency exchanges, timesand Imperial weights. The name comptometer was formerly in wide use as ageneric name for this class of calculating machine.
From the web:
The comptometer was thefirst commercially successful key-driven mechanical calculator, patented in theUnited States by Dorr E. Felt in 1887.
A key-driven calculatoris extre...mely fast because each key adds or subtracts its value to theaccumulator as soon as it is pressed and a skilled operator can enter all ofthe digits of a number simultaneously, using as many fingers as required, making them sometimes faster to use than electronic calculators. Consequently, in specialized applications, comptometers remained in use in limited numbersinto the early 1990s, but with the exception of museum pieces, they have allnow been superseded by electronic calculators and computers.
Manufactured withoutinterruption from 1887 to the mid-1970s, it was constantly improved. Themechanical versions were made faster and more reliable, then a line ofelectro-mechanical models was added in the 1930s. It was the first mechanicalcalculator to receive an all-electronic calculator engine in 1961, with theANITA Mark VII model released by Sumlock Comptometer. This created the linkbetween the mechanical calculator industries and the electronic.
Although thecomptometer was primarily an adding machine, it could also do subtractions, multiplication and division. Its keyboard consisted of eight or more columns ofnine keys each. Special comptometers with varying key arrays were produced fora variety of special purposes, including calculating currency exchanges, timesand Imperial weights. The name comptometer was formerly in wide use as ageneric name for this class of calculating machine.
