W.T. ODHNER YEAR 1900 St. PETERSBURG

Old Original Odhner calculator, manufactured in approximately 1900, in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Odhner calculators were invented by Willgodt Theophil Odhner, a Swedish engineer and businessman who worked in St. Petersburg. He was born in 1845 and died in 1905. He was the inventor of the Odhner arithmometer, which in 1940 was the most popular type of portable mechanical calculator in the world. In 1871 he had the opportunity to repair a Thomas de Colmar calculating machine and became convinced that it was possible to solve the problem of mechanical calculation in a simpler and more adequate way. It took him 19 years to perfect the design of this new machine so that it could be manufactured effectively. Odhner started out in his own shop in 1885, building high-quality production machines for local manufacturing companies. One of his biggest projects was the manufacturing of printing presses, he also made cigarette making machines and all kinds of scientific instruments. After Odhner's death, his sons Alexander and Georg and his son-in-law Karl Siewert continued production. Around 23,000 calculators were manufactured. The factory was forced to close in 1918. From then on, numerous companies emerged that cloned Odhner's machine, including Russia, well into the 1970s.

This specimen has the serial number 13728. Made of iron and black enamelled brass. It retains the original oak wood base and a lid that is surely not the original. It has the Maschinenfabrik seal, from Saint Petersburg and the Original Odhner mark on the top. It preserves a beautiful patina that only use and time gives to old pieces. We can carry out operations with up to 9 digits, obtain results of up to 13 digits and post operations with up to 8 digits. The side butterflies serve to set the counters to "zero". The calculator is in very good condition and works correctly.

An ideal jewel for a great collector of antique calculators.

 

Age: 1900 approx.

Measurements: 39x22x17 cm

Condition: Very good

Reference: 12601