Marchant Calculating Machine, Experimental

In the 1950s several manufacturers of full-keyboard adding and calculating machines began to experiment with building machines that had only ten digit keys, carried out all four arithmetic operations, and printed the results. This is an experimental ten-key printing electric calculating machine made by Marchant.

The model has three rows of discs above the keyboard. The first row has nine wheels that show the number entered (only two of these wheels show numbers at present) on a ten-key keyboard. The second row has the 18 wheels for a result register, and the uppermost row has the ten wheels of a revolution counter. There are holes below the registers for decimal markers. The first row of discs shifts as numbers are entered.

The machine has a metal case painted two shades of green and keys in two other shades of green. Right of the number keys are negative multiplication, multiplication, shift, and clear keys. To the left are subtraction, repeat, and addition bars, and dividend, divide, and stop keys. Further to the left is a place for a paper tape, as well as LIST, CALC, subtotal, and total keys. Eleven discs print results. The plastic cover is black.

The front, back and cover have marks that read: MARCHANT. The digit keys read: 7 8 9 (/) 4 5 6 (/) 1 2 3 (/) 0.

Currently not on view