This black and gold-colored metal, comb-sized notched band adder has six columns above for addition and six below for subtraction. Ten notches of any one band appear only in addition, ten in both addition and subtraction, and ten in subtraction alone. The columns on top are crook-shaped to allow for carrying and those at the bottom in the shape of an inverted crook to allow for borrowing. Six holes in the middle show the result. Across the top is a zeroing bar. Leather case.
The firm of Carl Keubler produced adders under the name Addiator in Berlin (later West Berlin) from 1920 until the 1980s. This is one of three versions of the Addiator in the Smithsonian collections. According to the donor, an employee of Volkswagen of America in Chicago brought it to the United States.
Instructions stored with documentation.
References: Popular Science, vol. 172, March, 1958, p. 66.
Popular Science, vol. 178, January, 1961, p. 41.
Thorp & Martin Corp., Office Supplies and Equipment Purchasing Guide, Boston, 1968, p. 372.
P. Kidwell, Rittenhouse, 1994, 8:78-96.
Martin Reese, Historische Buerowelt, 43 (September 1995).
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