This is a borderline off-topic area, since there are other mailing lists for the purpose. Also, mechanical calculators are certainly computers, but they're special-purpose and nonprogrammable. But I might as well spread useful information. If you reply, please concentrate on URL's and other pointers to information. See my plea at the end about electronic calculators. I consider electronic calculators on-topic since most of them are small computers (in the modern sense) even if they can't always be reprogrammed. Congratulations. I found one made by Marchant (which is currently being fixed). I don't know. The history of "how many of this type of thing are around, and how much are they worth?" is different for calculators versus computers. You may have trouble finding a duplicate of a particular model -- often, companies produced a huge number of variations (in color and style and complexity). Of course that was partly because of technological advances, but it was also driven by marketing, I'm sure. On the other hand, finding someone who has a machine more-or-less like yours is more straightforward. There are calculator-collecting lists out there, for both mechanical and early electronic calculators. I'm tempted not to say this... calculator collecting so far has been a very quiet hobby. (I hope it stays that way!) That doesn't mean things are cheap, or that you can always find what you want. But the list I'm on has very light traffic and a very high S/N ratio. The Web sites I've seen are informative and rather "gentlemanly". Use of eBay doesn't seem to be encouraged. Then the manufacturing period is probably the '50s or early '60s. OK, I'm a total novice and I could be wrong. But my machine from 1940 does NOT look like it was made in the '50s. Machines made before the '40s definitely look old. And by the mid-to-late '60s and early '70s, the style and technology had changed again. This is partly because of refinements, but also, mechanical technology had to fight against the new (and increasingly popular) electronic machines. Here are some URL's from my bookmark file: <li><a href="http://users.lewiston.com/two/office4.html">Buying manuals for adding machines</a> <li><a href="http://www.dotpoint.com/xnumber/carticles_mech.htm">Coll… Mechanical Calculators - Articles</a> <li><a href="http://www.wins.uva.nl/faculteit/museum/olivetti/Programma101.html">Olivetti Programma 101</a> <li><a href="http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~rjp0i/museum/marchant.short.html&… Silent Speed</a> <li><a href="http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~rjp0i/museum/">Marchant ads</a> <li><a href="http://www.calculator.net/">Calculator Net</a> The first is good for ordering manuals for your machine. Also see the CALCLIST-L mailing list. Send mail to LISTSERV(a)TECHUNIX.TECHNION.AC.IL with these commands in the message body: subscribe calclist-l set calclist-l ack norepro The last command is optional -- it confirms your messages but does not send copies back to you. Now... to bring this message back ON-TOPIC, can anyone suggest some URL's or a mailing list for collectors of _electronic_ calculators? I already know about the MOSCOW site, but others might not. And I'm sure there are other interesting resources out there! -- Derek

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On Sat, 30 Jan 1999 Jgzabol(a)aol.com wrote: I had a '50s-ish Monroe electromechanical desk caluclator when I was in elementary school. I convinced my parents to buy it for me from a JC Penney firesale. I think it cost around $15. This would've been in the late 1980s. I remember thinking it was pretty groovy, even if there were some things about it I didn't quite understand how to make work properly. My little brother pushed it off my desk on day and it stopped working, so I reluctantly threw it away. I realise this is in no way helpful to you, but you reminded me of this apocryphal sotry and I thought I'd share it. (: ok r.