The
Brunsviga Midget calculator
c. 1906
Willgodt Odhner, inventor of the Brunsviga calculator, sold
his patent rights to Grimme, Natalis & Co. A.G. of Braunschweig
in 1892. In 1894 the Brunsviga Type B was introduced. Odhner-type
calculators were based on a pinwheel mechanism. Eventually
the company changed its name to Brunsviga after selling thousands
of units of the small but practical device. Several similar
models were manufactured, many in Russia even into the decade
of the 1970s. The model in our collection was sold through
a Philadelphia distributor in about 1906 and came complete
with its own oak base and carry-case. And, after more
than 95 years, it still works!
Donor: LaVerne Brehmer of Phoenix, Arizona
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