Victor Adding Machine Model 600

On display is a Victor Adding Machine Model 600 for the 1950s, which was manufactured by the Victor Adding Machine Company. These types of mechanical calculator machines were often used in bookkeeping calculators and accounts. The machine is made into a brown bakelite case with dark green and jade green keys, with a hand crank on the right side and with a Total button (labeled“T”) and a repeat button (labeled “R”). To use the machine, you first enter the number by pressing the corresponding keys on the keyboard, which is a row of numbers corresponding to the position of the number you want to add, i.e. if you want to add 283 to something, you use the last 3 rows to add this number. Then, you pull the crank on the right side of the machine to enter the number and print it, adding it to the running total. To get a total and reset the machine, hold the total button ( next to the crank) down while pulling the crank. The machine will print the total and clear the register.

Founded in 1918 by Carl Buehler, who initially invested in the company after a chance encounter with a salesman, the Victor Adding Machine Company Machine from Chicago, was a significant manufacturer of adding machines, eventually becoming a major player in the office machine industry. The first Victor adding machine, a non-printing model, was introduced in 1919. Victor quickly moved to develop adding machines with printing capabilities and later expanded into subtractor machines that could both add and subtract. During World War II, Victor shifted production to support the war effort, manufacturing an aircraft compass, a B-24 bomber turret gunsight, and the Norden bombsight. After the war, Victor experienced significant growth, expanding its product line and market share. In 1961, Victor merged with the Comptometer Corporation, another Chicago-based manufacturer of office machines, forming the Victor Comptometer Corporation.