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Lot 39
LOUIS PAYEN 2C ARITHMOMETER no 2569, Paris, 1890s, ebonized wooden case, lid with inlaid brass lining and lettered "Arithmometre," hinged lid opening to 20 window result register, 11 window revolution register, 10 input levers,
5 November 2020, 10:00 PST
Los AngelesSold for US$4,075 inc. premium
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LOUIS PAYEN 2C ARITHMOMETER
no 2569, Paris, 1890s, ebonized wooden case, lid with inlaid brass lining and lettered "Arithmometre," hinged lid opening to 20 window result register, 11 window revolution register, 10 input levers, 708 x 182 x 98 mm (27 3/4 x 7 1/4 x 3 3/4 inches), with L.Payen imprint.
Provenance: The Computer History Collection of Serge Roubé.
The Arithmometer was patented by Thomas de Colmar in France in 1820 and it was the first digital mechanical calculator robust enough and reliable enough to be used regularly in an office environment. This Arithmometer could add and subtract two numbers directly and could perform multiplications and divisions effectively by using a movable accumulator for the result. Manufactured from 1851 until 1915, it became the first commercially successful mechanical calculator and made it a key tool in the radical transition from written to mechanical calculation that took place during the second half of the 19th century.
Provenance: The Computer History Collection of Serge Roubé.
The Arithmometer was patented by Thomas de Colmar in France in 1820 and it was the first digital mechanical calculator robust enough and reliable enough to be used regularly in an office environment. This Arithmometer could add and subtract two numbers directly and could perform multiplications and divisions effectively by using a movable accumulator for the result. Manufactured from 1851 until 1915, it became the first commercially successful mechanical calculator and made it a key tool in the radical transition from written to mechanical calculation that took place during the second half of the 19th century.

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