The Killer Mobile Device for Victorian Women
Adrift in a sea of digital apps for every imaginable function, we often feel our needs are met better today than in any previous era. But consider the chatelaine, a device popularized in the 18th century that attached to the waist of a wo…
If These Shirts Could Talk: The Tantalizing Tales Behind Used Clothes
The mysterious packages kept arriving, some from eBay, others from the Home …
Gloriously Grotesque 19th-Century Pipes
The meerschaum pipes carved in Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th century are among the most bizarre and improbable concoctions in decorative art. Some feature …
In the Hot Seat: Is Your Antique Windsor a Fake?
While researching her book, "Killer Stuff and Tons of Money," Maureen Stanton came across all sorts of characters. For years, she shadowed her antiques-dealer friend …
Bizarro Beauty Products, from 1889 to Now
We tend to think of the union of vanity and technology as a particularly modern affliction. It's only recently that science brought the world botox and collagen injections, skin peels, liposucti…
Love at First Kite: How Pizza and Pente Led to One Oklahoman's High-Flying Obsession
Vintage kites from all over the world hang from the ceiling and walls of Richard Dermer’s popula…
Pin-Up Queens: Three Female Artists Who Shaped the American Dream Girl
It’s easy to think of pin-up art as a charming relic of the old boys’ club—images that might line the walls …
Say Ahhh: An Oral Surgeon's Quest to Reimagine the Garage-Band Guitar
It’s not unusual for men of a certain age to have a soft spot in their hearts for the look of vintage guitars and the sound…
Tokens for Sweethearts, in Times of War
A keepsake, an item that recognizes a loved one, strikes a deep, sentimental chord in each of us—particularly that of a sweetheart. The popularity of keepsakes grew in the United States during the period from 1917 to 1919 as our country ent…
American Picker Dream, Part I: Mike Wolfe On His Love Affair With Bikes
I was walking to school one day and saw all these bikes in the garbage. I was just amazed because I didn't have one and I found it incredible that anyone was throwing them out. So I gathered…
Is this a flat abacus? | Recent activity74373 of 75534 |  |  |
Posted 2 years ago
lifeisgood64
(1 item)
I found this solid wood item at an estate sale.The worker said she didn't know what it was. I've since been told by a teacher that it may be a flat abacus? The little side pieces snap up allowed by a metal rod that runs one end to the other. It has no identifying markings that I can see. It is about 5 1/2" long , 2 1/2" wide and 1/4" thick. Any ideas? Thanks, Jen
Help us close this case. Add your knowledge below.
Create an account or login in order to post a comment.
Office AntiquesToday, when most of us head into the office, our quiet digital tools are re…
Hmm...I have never seen an abacus that wasn't made with beads..even the old ones.
An abacus in the sense that it lets you keep track of numbers. See if this works for you. The 1's and the 5's are all you need to know (1,10,100,1000 $5,50,500,and 5000). The 2,3,and 4 and their multiples are understood. The 6,7,8,and 9 will become evident.
Start with all numbers down. 1 = the first lever up. 2 = the first two levers up. 3 = the first 3; 4 = the first four; 5 = the first five up. Here is where it changes. 6=5 up, the # 4 down and 3,2,1 all up. 7=5 up 4&3 down, 2&1 up. 8=5 up 4,3,2 down and 1 up.9= 5 up 4,3,2,1,down. 10= 10 up everything else down. From there you can indicate any number to 9,999.