This manual calculator is a selection from the estate of Mr. David Hoekzema, a prolific lifetime collector.
Make: Burroughs
Model: Baby Burroughs
Serial Number: 686544
Manufactured: USA
Class 5 Key Driven Calculators - The early Class 5 machines (shoe box case style)
American Made 1930-1940s, "Baby Burroughs" adding
machine. This Class 5 Key Driven Calculator has the shoe box style case with a
nice brown patina paint in great shape.
The unit operates and clears from the testing that I have performed and
has a company asset tag W10678 on the side showing it’s history being used in a
business and trust that it was accurate.
It is in use/antique condition with no signs of damage from
use and a small chip or two on paint. Seems
to be fully functional, all key presses register and add to count on the front,
resets on side lever pull, and all keys are original and legible. Please view all photos and message with any
questions!
History: The Burroughs Adding Machine
was invented by one William Seward Burroughs in the late 1800s as a solution to a common issue he faced:
having to tirelessly count numbers at his bank job. William Burroughs was
pursuing a job as a bank clerk per his father’s wishes after a rather short education,
and this is where he faced a problem that required solving. However, William’s
childhood was spent with his father, a mechanic, and he grew to love inventing.
Between William’s distaste for banking and his love for inventing, he decided
to create an adding machine to solve the problem he and his colleagues
regularly faced at work.
After about five years of working for the bank, Burroughs took a job at a machine shop where he finally had access to the tools and equipment necessary to build a viable solution to his problem, as well as like-minded individuals with the skills and ability to teach him how to make such items. One such inventor was Frank Baldwin who also invented another type of calculator. Burroughs built his machines with immaculate attention to detail, using precision tools and parts at every opportunity. It wasn’t long into William’s career as a machinist that he left his first shop in search of a smaller location that would allow him to pursue his own creative projects. This move would introduce him to Joseph Boyer, who would later become instrumental in the development of his adding machine. In 1884 the first prototype of the Burroughs Adding Machine was ready. Just a year later William Burroughs applied for a patent for his machine. Three years after that application was submitted, the patent was granted.