Antique Brunsviga Doppel D-13 Mechanical Calculator. Germany, 1959

Lovely antique Brunsviga Doppel D-13 made in Germany in 1959, in excellent working order and in very good condition. The calculator has a fine hammered-grey enameled finish and aesthetically remains in great condition, showing only slight signs of wear that do not interfere at all in its fine look. The calculator makes it possible to perform the four basic arithmetical operation in a precise and quick way, being a real pleasure to use. The levers and pointers are made of silvery metal with dark-red plastic knobs. The numerals are engraved in the metal casing, painted with dark grey enamel and perfectly visible. The combination of these colors makes up a very attractive design with a fine industrial look, one hundred per cent functional. At the left of the calculator we can see a triangular metal plate with the logo and the BRUNSVIGA brand name. If we turn the machine upside down, at the base we will find a small metal plate with the model (D-13 R-2) and another one with the serial number 14-06060. This antique Brunsviga Doppel D-13 mechanical calculator will stand out on a stylish desk or as part of a good collection of office machines.Brunsviga Calculators History The firm Grimme, Natalis & Co (GNC) was established in 1871 to build sewing machines and domestic appliances at Braunschweig, Germany. In 1892 engineer Franz Trinks was instrumental in securing the manufacturing rights to the Odhner calculator patents. The first machines were built according to W.T. Odhner's 1890 design and were distributed under the brand name "Brunsviga" (Latin for Braunschweig). Trinks continued to develop and refine the Brunsviga calculator over a period of almost 30 years. The "new Brunsviga" range appeared in 1925, and the "13-series" in 1927. Production resumed after the 1939-45 war with a new range of 13-series machines, a motorised version of the stepped-drum machine, and a range of small adding machines. Grimme, Natalis & Co was originally established as a "Commanditgesellschaft auf Aktien". On its fiftieth anniversary in 1921 it became Grimme, Natalis & Co AG. In 1927 the name was changed to "Brunsviga Maschinenwerke Grimme, Natalis & Co AG", and later to just "Brunsviga Maschinenwerke AG" In 1957 Brunsviga entered into an agreement with Olympia Werke AG, which led ultimately to the company being absorbed into Olympia in 1959. Production continued for a time as the Brunsviga Division of Olympia, before coming to an end in the late 1960s. About half a million Brunsviga machines were produced over a period of almost eighty years. The Trinks-Brunsviga calculators work with the pinwheel system developed by W.T. Odhner in the 1870s. It was inspired in turn by the arithmometer designed by Leibniz in the 16th century.