Mechanical calculator

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Burroughs Corporation Adding Machine. 1888.

Mechanical calculators are fascinating and represent the early ingenuity and groundbreaking prowess that paved the way for modern computing.

Mechanical Marvel Calculators - Schickard Calculating Machine

Mechanical calculator

Curta mechanical calculator

You could be forgiven for thinking that being called a “Curta-cranker” was a bit of an insult. The nickname describes someone who constantly cranks their Curta (!) to make calculations. However, the Curta calculator, as the hallowed invention of concentration camp survivor Curt Herzstark, has become such a collector’s item these days, that just to have one in your possession is a fact worth celebrating. It means you are one fortunate, and determined, collector.In a sense, I am a that…

An Apple-1 and a 17th century mechanical calculator replica are just a few of the nerd delights on auction later this month.

Photos capture the mechanical beauty of the mechanical calculator, a heavy device often about the size of a small computer that cost thousands in today’s dollars. They were indispensable tools used for the most complex business and engineering problems of the time.