Original Ohdner M-602 No 7, Serial number 288965, ~1930?
Digits: 10 rotor, 8 counter, 13 accumulator Manufactured: Göteborg, Sweden, 1930?
It is hard to establish the age of this machine. It is more primitive than the Model 27 which began production in 1938, in that it is missing the clearing slider at the left bottom of the rotor upper body. In other respects it is closest however to this machine including having the back transfer lever to the right of the accumulator just as in the model 271.
According to Timo Leipälä’s page2 the serial number 288965 puts its age in 1951. However, the style seems very old fashioned to be produced that late, and it lacks the improvements of the models known to have been produced then. However, an identical machine with the same model number (M-602 No 7) is listed at another site as being aged about 1930,3 which seems more reasonable. Another identical machine is shown at the Museu Da Calculadora site4 but gives no date for it.
Provenance: Originally owned by the John Sharp Timber Company (Corner Lorrimer St and Johnstone St, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), which was later taken over by the East Asiatic Company. The East Asiatic Company closed this premises in 1975. The machine was salvaged from that closure and held by a former employee who presented it to this collection in January 2012.
1 see http://home.vicnet.net.au/~wolff/calculators/Odhner/Odhner.htm#Odhner27 (viewed 15 Jan 2012) (↑)
2 http://www.rechenmaschinen-illustrated.com/Odhner_serialNumbers.htm (viewed 16 Jan 2012) (↑)
3 http://www.antiguedadesrusticas.com/detalles.php?id=2980 (viewed 16 Jan 2012 (↑)
4 http://museu.boselli.com.br/Odhner%20M.htm (viewed 16 Jan 2012) (↑)
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