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| Numeria 8725 (Sterling), 1960s |
Lagomarsino was a family-owned company established in 1896 in Milan in northern Italy. For many years the company acted as the Italian distributor for several types of European calculating machines. In 1935 the company introduced two new lines under their own name - the "Numeria" full-keyboard calculators, and the "Totalia" adding and listing machines. The post-war Numeria has more than a passing similarity to the American Monroe machine, while the Totalia was originally built under license from the Swedish Addo company. Both product lines were later developed independently. Advertisements from the late 1960s claim that the machines were sold and serviced in over 120 countries.
Click on the photos below for larger illustrations.
Lagomarsino Numeria Model 5905, S/N 076902
Technology: Pinwheel (axial), manual.
Digits: 10 keyboard, 11 counter, 21 accumulator
Dimensions: 230W x 250D x 185H (ex handle), carriage width 370mm
Weight: 6.78 kg
Manufactured: Milan, Italy, 1950-60s.
While the Numeria 5905 is clearly based on the Monroe design, it has a number of enhancements which set it apart from the Monroe clones. It is quite a well-built machine, with a cast-aluminium base and cover and a wide pressed-metal carriage. The 21-digit accumulator register has a split clearing mechanism, while the counter has full tens transmission with automatic reversing. The keyboard, carriage, drive train, and tens-carry mechanism are very similar to the Monroe, but the actuator is completely different. Instead of the stepped-drum mechanism, the Numeria adds another nine axial pins to the carry rotor at the rear of the machine. The pins have radial steps which engage with the setting mechanism, so that the correct number of pins will extend (horizontally) as they pass the intermediate star wheel.
Lagomarsino "ElettroNumeria" Model 8925, S/N 078668
Technology: Pinwheel (axial), semi-automatic.
Digits: 10 keyboard, 11 counter, 21 accumulator
Dimensions: 275W x 320D x 185H, carriage width 370mm
Weight: 10.44 kg
Manufactured: Milan, Italy, 1950s-60s.
The ElettroNumeria 8925 uses the same calculating mechanism as the hand-cranked model above. The case is wider and deeper to accommodate the function keys and the electric motor drive, but the carriage is identical. The machine provides semi-automatic multiplication and division, but has no powered carriage shift or clearing mechanisms.
The add and subtract keys on the right-hand side perform a single machine cycle and clear the keyboard. The positive and negative multiplication keys perform repeated cycles and retain the keyboard setting. The multiplier keyboard on the left-hand side performs a set number of addition cycles and retains the keyboard setting. The carriage must be shifted manually after each multiplier digit is processed.
Division is set up manually in the normal manner. On pressing the division key at the top right, the machine subtracts repeatedly to underflow, adds once to restore the remainder, then stops with the first digit of the quotient in the counter register. The carriage must be shifted left by hand and the key pressed again to generate the next and subsequent digits.
Lagomarsino "SterliNumeria" Model 8725, S/N 078214
Technology: Pinwheel (axial), semi-automatic, Sterling currency.
Digits: 10 keyboard, 7+2 counter, 16+2+2 accumulator
Dimensions: 275W x 320D x 185H, carriage width 370mm
Weight: 10.59 kg
Manufactured: Milan, Italy, 1950s-60s.
The Model 8725 is similar to the semi-automatic 8925 above, but
is adapted for Sterling currency. The keyboard is colour-coded for
six decades of pounds, plus ten-shillings, shillings, pence, and
farthings (quarter-pence). To add in Sterling, the carriage is set
fully to the left, and the control lever to the right of the keyboard
is set to "Pounds". (The lever's only function is to block the grey
keys 2 to 9 in the ten-shillings column). For decimal calculations the
lever is set to N (for Normal or Whole Numbers), which blocks the
Sterling keys in the first column. The carriage must be shifted to the
right to avoid adding into the four non-decimal places, which are
easily distinguished by the raised area at the right of the
accumulator.
Keyboard and carriage detail (32kb)
Lagomarsino "Totalia" Model 8381, S/N 245526
12/13 columns, fully automatic
Dimensions: 250W x 445D x 245H
Weight: 16.7 kg
Manufactured: Milan, Italy, 1950s-60s
The Totalia 8381 is a large and heavy machine which provides
fully-automatic multiplication and division. It is built on a
substantial cast aluminium base, with a pressed-metal bottom cover,
die-cast body, and plastic top cover. Multiplications are entered as
written, with separate "equals" keys for positive or negative
multiplication. The multiplier register can also be used as a memory
register. Division is likewise fully automatic, with separate "divide"
and "equals" keys.
Keyboard detail (29kb)
Lagomarsino "Totalia" Model S4-GT, S/N 2008415
14/15 columns, fully automatic, with grand total
Dimensions: 280W x 445D x 200H
Weight: 14.1 kg
Manufactured: Milan, Italy, 1970
The Totalia S4-GT is a late-model fully-automatic machine from
around 1970. (The instruction card is dated November 1969). It is an
attractive and well-built machine, with a pressed-metal frame and an
all-plastic casing. There are 15 places in the printing mechanism,
14 in the keyboard, and 13 in the multiplier. The machine has a
grand-total register, a constant-factor register, and a key for
percentage calculations.
Keyboard detail (29kb)
