Source: Odhner Pinwheel Calculator Dec2025
On the desk in the Study of Schramm’s Cottage, we have on display as part of our museum collection a rare Original Odhner Mechanical Calculator that was manufactured between 1935 and 1945 in Sweden.
This is a pin wheel calculator. The wheel mechanism was the first successful mechanical calculator mechanism that was designed for multiplication and division, as well as addition and subtraction. It has a 10 digit setting register, 13 digit accumulator register and 8 digit revolutions register.
This pin wheel mechanical calculator was invented by engineer and entrepreneur Willgodt T. Odhner in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1874. Following the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the nationalisation of his fac factory there, he moved production to Sweden and the name Original Odhner was adopted. DTHS has the full technical specification for this calculator included in our file for Museum Significant Objects. An identical Original Odhner calculator to the one DTHS has on display is on display at the Science Works Museum as part of the display on the history of calculators.
We now seek your help to identify where this particular calculator was used in our district, the date and the name of the person or organisation who donated it to the Society. We regret many objects in the museum collected during our early years do not have this important information recorded.
Source: John Boylett writing in 2017-09 DTHS Newsletter
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