The neatest? A large recording clock. What it was used to record, I do not know, but the face is beautiful and the innards are full of brass rods, gears, and a reel for paper.
I thought this fern stand -- with chains on it! Was interesting, too.
Auction ends on February 8th, so you have plenty of time to dream, research, and bid.
Ah -- I think Happy found this via BoingBoing, so thanks all around.
The recording clock is for tracking when employees arrive at work and leave for the day. Each employee is assigned a number on the large ring, when they punch in in the morning, they rotate the arm around to their number, push it in and it records the time on the paper roll inside the clock. Similarily for when they punch out. As I recall this one was built by IBM. There's a similar model on display at the maritime museum in Victoria, BC, Canada.
ReplyDeleteAh, thank you WackyV. A "time clock" in other words. Very good to know -- this one is pretty, isn't it?
ReplyDeleteIndeed it is, it's even more beautiful in person.
ReplyDeleteExtremely cool. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI came across your page trying to do more research on the Orleans House... funny, since I'm the one who submitted that link to BoingBoing. It's amazing how stuff gets around.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I just wanted to offer a few pictures of the machine... they're part of a set I have of the restaurant. The last is a detail of the plaque on the front of the machine if anyone's trying to do forensics...
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