A Brunsviga twin-system with keys 10x10x20 and 12x20. Plaque: TRINKS Double System / GRIMME NATALIS & Co / Braunschweig / AND Brunsviga Calculator Co. / London, Brunsviga House / Snow Hill EC1[London] / Manchester, WIlliam Brown Street / Glasgow, 20 West Campbell St.

The navigational computer was a circular slide rule used for calculating height and air speed corrections when flying an aircraft. The front cover lifts to reveal a further calculator used to solve vector triangles and plot course alterations. The device was intended to be strapped to a pilot's leg. The instrument was made by White and Gillespie (Melbourne) Pty Ltd c 1940 for the RAAF and used during WW2.Black metal box with silver metal flap top cover affixed with rotating circular rule . Two adjustable belts are affixed to the base of black box. A small spiral bound note book is contained beneath the flap top. RAAF Computer Navigational system MK. III. D. Serial No WG 2833navigation, raaf, computer, aircraft, ww2, 1940

Burroughs Adding Machines Ltd of Detroit Michigan was the first company to occupy a factory at Strathleven. During the European reconstruction in the late 1940's Burroughs built a major new factory at Strathleven in Scotland, initially to assemble machines from US-made parts and later to manufacture the full product range for the British and Commonwealth markets. Most of the post-war calculators and portables found in Australia are from the Strathleven factory.This manually operated calculator predates the the rise of the modern computer.A manually operated Burrough's adding machine. It is a greyish green plastic and has a silver handle. It has 8 columns to add manuaIly and has decimal currency. There is a roll of white (slightly yellowed) paper inserted in the top section.On front -P3981115 mathematics accounting burroughs adding-machine business calculator

1946 One of the first Contex calculators, the Half-Keyboard Adder used Leibniz step cylinders to perform simple addition. The predominant use of this Contex would have been adding sterling currency. Starting from the right, the levers were used for half and quarter pence, the next row would be pence, followed by shilling up to 19, and pounds. On the far left there is a zeroing lever for the entire mechanism; Ref: Online: 'physicsmuseum.uq.edu.au'Used by the office staff at the SECV construction of the Kiewa Hydro Electric Scheme.Bakelite small typing machine consisting of numbers with a screen above.'Context' embossed centre front 'Lubrication' with instructions and with Patents on bottom 'Chartres Business Service' at back 'Numbers 1 - 5' at front on knobscontex, adding machine, office equipment

This piece of equipment was used to predict the flight path of an aircraft in order for anti-aircraft artillery to fire accurately at an approaching enemy airborne target. A crew of six operated the machine with information ready to be relayed to a gun within 50 seconds. The predictor was manufactured at the Commonwealth Government Ordnance Factory, Maribyrnong.The item is made primarily from metal, is square shaped and bolted to a wooden base. Numerous hand operated wheel dials attached to gauges which input information related to wind speed, bearings and elevation are visible. Each of the four sides has a specific task with three sides being labelled - Elevation Unit, Wind Calculator, Bearing Unit. The item is housed in a glass and wood display case. Attached to the front of the display case: 'VICKERS A.A. PREDICTOR No1 MK III MANUFACTURED BY ORDNANCE FACTORY MARIBYRNONG'pedictor, military equipment, ordnance, anti-aircraft guns

A 'Brunsviga' adding Machine used to educate people who were blind or vision impaired in arithmetic during in the early 1900s. The firm Grimme, Natalis & Co (GNC) was established in 1871 to build sewing machines and domestic appliances at Braunschweig (Brunswick) in 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". Trinks continued to develop and refine the Brunsviga calculator over a period of almost 30 years. The brass rotor disks are 71mm in diameter, with the nine setting levers spaced on 9mm centres. The moving carriage has 10 places in the counter register and 18 in the accumulator, but the tens-carry mechanism only covers 10 of the 18 places. The carriage is positioned manually by releasing a latch and moving the assembly by hand to the required position. The registers are cleared by a full turn of the large wing nuts on either end. The mechanism is very basic, with no safety interlocks and no added features.Metal machine on wooden base.Brunsviga Patent Braunschweigoffice equipment and supplies, royal victorian institute for the blind

This item was produced for commercial shops and other traders in a period, 1800 to the 1950s. They were used because they were extremely cost effective, speedy, easy to learn and simple to use. It was also at a time before pocket calculators and electric cash tills were produced. The reckoners were a fast and accurate accounting book for a ever increasing bulk purchasing industry. These reckoners were at the start of a business principle "time is money" The reckoner was also looked upon as a way of reducing staff errors in the calculation field. This reckoner was highly valued to a rural industry in the Kiewa Valley because of the bulk produce being bought and sold here. Produce such as milk, tobacco, cattle, timber and fruits relied on weights and quantities calculation for cost pricing. Electrical machines were not of use in "the field or paddock" where important price negotiations took place. For a successful business to keep going accuracy was upper most to producers. It was still a time where honest transactions built reputations and tardiness ruined them. It was a time when a producer's word was his bond and a gentleman's handshake was as good as a contract. This attitude lasted a lot longer in rural regions than in the city. A producer's reputation was based on face to face negotiations and honesty.This hard cover book (blue in colour) contains 210 pages of black numbers and headings on light yellow pages (aged). The numbers refer to calculations of per unit price of goods and percentages.Top of front cover "Inglis Reckoners" underneath "The 'Express' Ready Reckoner", underneath "with All the Pence up to 1(pound symbol), Interest, Wages, Discount, Tables Etc." The spine: The Express Ready Reckoner with all the pence up to 1 (pound symbol) Interest Wages Discount Tables &c." underneath " The Express Series Vol 1" at the bottom of spine "Gall & Inglis"inlis, ready reckoner, imperial calculations

Logs were sold to sawmillers from State forest from 1 July 1974 in cubic metres (true volume). Previously sawlogs had been sold on the basis of Hoppus volume. This simple device with two rotating wheels enabled staff in FCV offices to rapidly calculate log volumes from measurements taken in the bush of log girth and length and recorded on paper log dockets. From the early 1980s automated systems became available with the advent of cheap electronic office calculators and simple computers. An early manual device that was superseded by electronic calculatorsOffice Device Twin rollers used to quickly and simply calculate true log volumes using measurements of girth and length. An allowance could also be made for pipe defects. The top roller was for larger diameter logs.forest measurement, forests commission victoria (fcv)

A slide rule is an instrument which is used to carry out mathematical calculations. William Oughtred is credited with its invention in 1621, however many others including Isaac Newton have made improvements or modifications over the years. From 1625 to 1800 there were approximately 40 different styles brought forward. with the following 100 years sees over 250 designs created.There have been different versions and modifications to suit scientific, mathematical and engineering requirements. It is interesting to note that many of the buildings of the 19th and 20th centuries have been designed with the use of slide rules. Their use has declined in the last 25-30 years with the advent of computers and specialist calculators.While not directly linked in any way to the history of Warrnambool, this slide rule would have been a item in use by students doing maths at upper secondary level as well as other applications which would make it a familiar object to many people.Coated bamboo with sliding metal framed glass panel or cursor . The bamboo is in three sections with the middle section movable. It is marked in various graduated measurements mainly in dark blue but with some in green and red.It is inside a dark grey rectangular box with a slide off lid on one end.There is a celluloid panel on the back with a conversion table printed on it. There is an accompanying 67 page manual with a pale green cover with black text. On slide rule:Sun Hemmi Japan No 2664S On box: Sun Hemmi Japan No 2664S warrnambool, hemmi slide rule, bamboo slide rule

Willgodt T. Odhner invented his very successful “pinwheel” four-function calculator mechanism in Russia in 1874, and his invention was cloned by numerous companies, resulting in dozens of similar models that remained in wide use for almost a century. Numbers are dialed into the sliding levers on the top part of the machine, and are added to the register visible in the carriage at the bottom when the large crank is turned. Shifting the carriage sideways allows multiplication through a sequence of addition operations; the two small cranks zero the registers. The design includes ingenious error-preventing interlocks between all the controls: should the operator fail to return a crank to its resting position, the other controls are frozen until this is corrected. A bell indicates calculations in the negative. Used in Ballarat Institute of Advanced Education (B.I.A.E) Physics department.Black, mechanical calculating machine. Metal. Hand-operated, with three hand-cranks. 10x10 rotor with 13 digit result. Ser. No. 29-286781.5 Black symotape on base front: "PHYSICS". Maker's identification on top surface. Supplier's label (metal, silver & blue) on back: "STOTT & HOARE Pty. Ltd. 171 William St. Melbourne C1 M1991". Stamped on rear panel: "MADE IN SWEDEN". Cast lettering on underside: "M-602 07".calculating machine, pinwheel, calculator, scientific instruments, stott & hoare pty ltd, physics, odhner, ballarat institute of advanced education

The "Burroughs Calculator" was a non-printing key-driven machine introduced in 1912 in response to the success of the Felt & Tarrant "Comptometer". The first Burroughs key-driven machine was very similar to the Comptometer in its external appearance, but was quite different in its internal mechanism, with the register and carry mechanism based on a complex system of planetary gears. It was only about two-thirds of the weight of the Felt & Tarrant machine, and had none of the safety features. In particular, there was no protection against incomplete keystrokes in either direction. The register would simply advance in proportion to the depth of stroke, with no indication of error. However, the price was also about two-thirds of the Comptometer, which made it quite a popular (if dangerous) machine. (http://home.vicnet.net.au/~wolff/calculators/Burroughs/Burroughs.htm) The Burroughs Portable Adding Machine introduced in 1925 became the basic design for the adding machine for many years, until the ten key adder was introduced and started to replace it gradually. The key-driven type machine did not print, and while it was often used as an adding machine, it developed into a special purpose machine in later years. The machine was very fast . The efficient operation of these machines required an experienced operator who often received a high salary. The machine was produced over a very long period because of its unique capabilities and was often used to verify product delivery lists from delivery routes. Later models of the machine, called a duplex design, could hold a running total in a second set of dial wheels while the primary wheels continued to add and subtotal amounts that could be transferred at any time to the running total. A side note, Burroughs copied the Felt design for its first models and was sued for patent infringement by Felt and Tarrant who prevailed in the suit. As a result, Burroughs totally redesigned their machine and went on to compete with the Felt machine for decades. Info from (http://www.burroughsinfo.com/group_d.htm) Black metal low keyboard manual adding machine. The key-driven type machine did not print, and was exceedingly fast and experienced operators could easily outrun an operator on a full keyboard or 10-key adding machine. The adding machine has a brown leather carry case.calculator

J. Mann and Sons was first established as a farm produce store in 1921. The range of products was extended in the 1930s and included groceries and hardware, as well as the first petrol bowser in Wodonga outside the store. After WWII, the premises were extended and the range of products continued to increase. In the 1960s the Mann Family opened a new supermarket in Wodonga, in addition to the hardware business, providing steel, plumbing and industrial supplies, and they employed over 100 people at one stage. With changes in the retail industry, the Mann Family sold the main hardware business to Bunnings and the produce business to the Kelly brothers in 2006. Bell Punch A/sia Ltd was a subsidiary of The Bell Punch Company, itself a part of (Cash) Control Systems. The Bell Punch Company was a British company manufacturing a variety of business machines, including several generations of public transport ticket machines and the world's first desktop electronic calculator The company was founded on 5 July 1878. By 1961 it employed a workforce of 2000 people. The circular mark on the back of the machine was adopted in the 1950s.On Back of machine: Supplied by BELL PUNCH LTD. A/SIA BPC CASH CONTOL SYSTEMS 160 CASTLEREAGH ST. SYDNEY, MA9337 427 LITTLE COLLINS ST. MELBOURNE. CENT. 2038 AGENTS AND SERVICE IN ALL STATES ADDING MACHINES TICKET REGISTERS CHANGE MACHINES TICKET PRINTERS GUM TAPE SEALING MACHINES, ETC.j. mann & sons, vintage adding machines, bell punch australasia

The Axminster Carpet Loom has been set up as a focal point in the centre of the National Wool Museum. The loom was originally built by Brintons in England around 1910 and was initially operating in Geelong in 1960. Brintons designed and built most of their own looms and ancillary equipment. When superseded in 1975 the loom was donated to the Melbourne College of Textiles for weaving training. The College has now donated the loom to the National Wool Museum and Brintons engineering staff has restored it to full working condition. This loom is known as an Axminster gripper loom. The gripper system was invented by Brintons in 1890 and operates using a gripper shaped like a birds beak. This grips the yarn, the yarn is then cut and the gripper swings down to place the tuft into the woven backing. This particular loom also uses a jacquard system for weaving colours. In jacquard weaving, punched cards are used to instruct the loom as to which colour to use. The system was invented by Joseph Jacquard, a silk weaver from Lyon, and was introduced in 1804. It revolutionised pattern weaving as it had the capacity to create intricate patterns through the use of the cards. By 1833 there were approximately 100,000 power-looms used in Great Britain that had been influenced by Jacquards invention. Joseph Jacquard died in 1834. Charles Babbage was later to adapt Jacquards punch-card system to produce a calculator that was the forerunner of todays methods of computer programmingAxminster carpet loom featuring over 1000 Jacquard punch cards and over 100 bobbins of different colours of wool.loom carpet wool, geelong woolbrokers' association, geelong, auction

White celluloid and clear sliding 'bridge', black printing. Various units and scales. In a clear celluloid case with elongated end for easy removal and safe storage. Used for engineering calculations. Faber Castell Made in Germany faber castell, slide rule, engineering calculations, germany, german slide rule

scientific instrument, cylinder slide rule, cylindrical logarithmic slide rule

George Lee Lawrence (1901–1976) established a firm in Chicago to make slide rules for photography. In 1935 he moved to Wabash, Ind., renamed the company Lawrence Engineering Service, and began to manufacture general purpose slide rules. In 1938 he relocated once more to Peru, Ind., and in 1947 it was changed to Engineering Instruments, Inc., and the company remained in business until its building burned down in 1967. The model 10-B sold for 25 cents during this period. There is no record that Lawrence ever received a patent for any aspect of his design or manufacturing process.Used up to the 1960s prior to the invention of the electronic calculator.10 inch one-sided wooden slide rule painted white on the front face, which consists of two divided scales, one fixed and on movable, and a sliding window called a cursor. A, D, and K scales are on the base, and B, CI, and C scales the inside of the slide. The underside of the rule is marked with: tables for equivalents and conversions. Housed in cardboard box with instruction booklet.The top of the base is marked: MADE IN U.S.A. It is also marked ENGINEERING INSTRUMENTS, INC., PERU, INDIANA and PAT. PEND. Underside: This Famous Slide Rule... at a popular price. Solves Problems in Multiplication, Division, Proportion, Squares Roots, Cubes and Cube Roots, Reciprocals, etc., Instantly. Accurately Calibrated White Face on Well Seasoned Hardwood. Both ends of box: MODEL 10B-BK Price of 15 shillings handwritten on box.slide rule, mathematics

This item was purchased by Geoff Biddington, and donated after his death. It is believed to have been used at the Woomera Rocket Range.Cylindrical timber spiral slide rule with timber box. 808 L.R.W. 36fuller calculator, calculator, scientific instrument, biddington, woomera, woomera rocket range, slide rule, scientific objects, scientific instruments

The abacus has been used by many civilisations, and is still in use today. Its origin is masked in the depths of time, but it is believed to have originated in crude form around the years c.2500 BCE. It is interesting to note that this abacus, although in use in Australian schools, contains ten rows, each containing ten beads, suggesting that it was heavily influenced by the decimal system. The number 12 was quite prominent in Australia, no doubt introduced by the British during the first settlements. It's use, as in dozens, twelve shillings in the pound and twelve inches in a foot, was widespread until decimalisation in 1966. Even today, many items are sold in dozens or sixes.Before more sophisticated adding machines and then calculators were developed in the 19th and 20th centuries, the abacus would have been in worldwide use.Abacus or counting frame with ten rows, each containing ten wooden beads.Noneflagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, wood, abacus

Adding machine with thirteen vertical rows of keys with clearing handle on side. Fraction keys on right hand side, and three keys missing along top row. Lever on side of machine. Two short feet at front, two long feet at back, giving slope to machine for ease of use. Serial Number "5-891861" Paper label with "Sets Mess Property" on at back of machine. Serial Number "5-891861" Paper label with "Sets Mess Property" on back of machine. flagstaff hill, warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, adding machine, calculator, office equipment, commerce, business equipment

Many Numbered Buttons, able to jump from 1 - 9 in any part Still Works Turner able handle for resetting the item Numbers go up to the trillonsBwroungs

keys: 8 / 13

keys: 11 x 9 x 16

These type of cigarette silks were included in WD & HO Wills cigarette packets to induce women in particular to take up smoking.|The Word 'Cartophilic?|It is believed that this unusual word was coined in the 1920s by Col. Bagnall, an Englishman, who was the father of the hobby of cigarette card and trade card collecting. It is thought to be a combination of a Latin word, 'carto' meaning 'card and the Greek word 'philic', meaning 'love'.- lover of cards. The term originally related to the collection of the two types mentioned, however, our Society has included postcards in the range of items collected by our members.|The Cigarette Card|The cigarette card began its evolution in the United States of America, in the early 1880s as a plain piece of cardboard used by tobacconists to protect the cigarettes which were sold in that era, not in packets, but loosely. A purchaser would buy his cigarettes then wrap them in paper around the small piece of cardboard, which acted as a stiffener. In fact, for many decades, cigarette cards were known as 'stiffeners' in the USA.|The card depicting 'The Marquis of Lome' is reputed to be the first known cigarette card issued. This is thought to have been in 1879. It did not take long for an enterprising entrepreneur to recognise the advertising potential of the cigarette card, and, very soon, the cards began displaying popular images, often in sets. This had the effect of youngsters, wishing to complete their sets, harassing their fathers to buy a specific brand of cigarettes. The kids who collected cards in the days when they were being issued in the cigarette packets, would hang around outside the local tobacconist's shop, pestering the men who had just bought a packet of cigarette, with the cry: 'can I have the cig can mister?'|It is a proven fact that, here in Australia during the 1930s, at least one set had one card deliberately withheld and issued very sparingly. This card is No. 86 (Mrs Jack Crawford) in the Carreras 'Turf Personality Series'. Thus, in a set of reasonably easy cards to get, this one card is a constant source of frustration for the collector, and as such, commands a premium when it comes to price. It is not hard to imagine the young collector nagging his to Dad to keep buying 'Turf' cigarettes to enable him to finish the set.|From small beginnings the cigarette card soon gave rise to a booming industry in itself. Artists and writers were|employed to produce the cards, which were miniature works of art and served as little encyclopaedia's for the children of the day. By the 1930s cards were being issued in the countless millions. It has been stated, in one book on the history of cards; that 450 million sets of a series produced and issued by the prolific issuer of cards in the United Kingdom, WD & HO Wills. As each set contained 50 cards you would need a calculator with a very long result window to see the answer to how many cards of that series were in circulation.|Australia's involvement would appear to have its beginnings with the English and American firms who shipped their tobacco products here and the cards of American Tobacco Company (ATC) are found in great numbers in early Australian collections; many featuring Australian subjects, e.g. 'Australian Parliament a 1901 issue. Earlier U.S. sets depicting Australians included Goodwin & Co's, so called. 'Australian Series' with cricketers and Australian Rules footballers who were on the sporting scene during the 1880s. The caption of one of theses cards reads:|'W.Hannysee. Captain Port Melbourne Football Club' which enables us to pinpoint the year of issue to either 1889 or 1890.|On the Australian scene the first local manufacturer who issued cards seems to have been The National Cigarette Company of Australia Proprietary Limited, whose 'Tally Ho' packets contained cards from a series of thirteen featuring the touring 'English Cricket Team 1897-8' Of the few Australian manufacturers who issued cards, only two companies issued more the two sets.|Undoubtedly the cards issued by the Melbourne firm Sniders & Abrahams (later Sniders & Abrahams Pty Ltd) are the 'jewels in the crown' of Australian card issues. They issued some thirty-three series, with numerous sub-series and allied issues such as metal badges, metal football shields, celluloid flags etc., which ensured that the hobbyist had a vast range from which to collect. Sporting themes – football, cricket, horse racing – dominate, indicating the Australians' love of sport and the outdoors was as strong in those earlier times as it is today. Military, animals and birds themes were also to the fore, with a touch of culture being provided by 'Shakespeare', 'Dickens', actresses and even classical 'Statuary'. Humour was not forgotten with 'Cartoons and Caricatures', 'Naval and Cricket (double meaning) Terms' and the 'Jokes' series. Art and history were covered by the artist, S.T. Gill's 'Views of Victoria in 1857' while the stereoscopic 'Views of the World' expanded the collectors' knowledge of the world as a whole.|The Sniders & Abrahams series began in 1904 and by 1919 the company was in decline and was eventually taken over by G.G. Goode & Co. Ltd. This company produced one set only, the highly collectable 'Prominent Cricketer Series' issued in 1924. During the early to mid-1920s, J.J. Schuh Tobacco Pty Ltd issued eight series, again containing the popular subjects of sport and war. At least two provincial tobacconists, Lentens of Bendigo and Baillies of Warrnambool, issued private football series. The last series of cards issued by a truly Australian firm was Dudgeon & Arnell's '1934 Australian Cricket Team'.|The Australian market was not neglected by the English companies with WD & HO Wills, Godfrey Phillips and Ogdens all making their contributions. By far the most active issuer was the long-established company Wills, whose 'Cricketers' of 1901 heralded the flood of Australian series, which continued into the mid-thirties.|The onset of the 1939-45 World War sounded the death knell of the cigarette card and very few post-war issues were made, certainly not here in Australia.|The Trade Card|The Trade Card is a non-tobacco item used by manufacturers to promote and advertise their products, in the same way that cigarette cards were. It is uncertain exactly when they were first produced, but in the USA, non-collectable cards were issued by firms in the early 1800s. These were more akin to a latter day 'business card'. It was not until the 1850s, when coloured and pictorial cards were issued to advertise and promote products that the Trade Card|became a collectable item. Many beautiful lithographic cards were produced in this early era and they are very mu sought after by collectors. By the 1870s the issues of Trade Cards became more prolific and it is from this era that more cards are seen.|Again, it is difficult to pinpoint the exact date of the first Australian Trade Card and it may be that the highly collectable and extremely rare 'American Candy Co's' - 'Pure Caramels' Australian Rules football card, issued i 1891, is the earliest series. This confectionery firm was located in Fitzroy, a Melbourne suburb. To date only two subjects have been seen.|Another early set was 'Flags', issued by F.H.Fauldings & Co. It featured testimonials of seven English cricketers who toured Australia with the 1894/5 Test team. Fauldings was an Adelaide based firm which manufactured medicinal toiletries, soaps and oils, using the distinctly Australian eucalyptus oil. During the 20th century a multitude of Australian businesses issued trade cards, with confectionery manufacturers such as Hoadleys, Allens, Sweetacres and Australian Licorice producing the majority of them. Again sporting themes dominated with the ever popular Aussie Rules football cards being the most numerous. Cricket issues ran a close second.|Apart from sporting cards, almost every subject imaginable was covered by the Trade Card, making it the most diverse and interesting branch of cartophilly. In contrast to the Cigarette Card, which had its demise prior to the Second World War, the Trade Card is still alive and well.|We all are aware of the long running 'Birds of Australasia' series put out by Tuck-fields Tea and 1 doubt if there is a kitchen drawer in Australia that has not got one or two of these informative and attractive cards floating about in it. These cards were first produced in the early 1960s and are still being inserted in that company's packets of tea. Such is also the case with Sanitarium Health Foods, manufacturers of the well known Weetbix, who began issuing cards, with a wide range of subjects, in the early 1940s and continue to do so.|The 1940s and 1950s saw the two breakfast food giants, Kornies and Weeties dominating the card scene. Kornies footballers were in production fora decade from 1948 to 1959. Four years later in 1963, we saw the start of four decades of Scanlens bubble-gum card issues, both football and cricket. In the mid 1990s, with the end of the Scanlens/Stimorol cards, the Trading Card came on the scene. These cards do not fit under the umbrella of the Trade Card, having been produced and marketed purely as a 'collectable' with no connection whatsoever to any product, which of course is necessary for an item to be classified as a Trade Card.|The earliest British postcard was issued in 1870 and was designed to send short messages; the stamp was printed on the card, therefore it did not require an envelope. It was considered by many to be lowering the postal standards because the texts were no longer private. However the cards were a great success as on the first day of issue in 1870, half a million passed through the London postal centre.|The first illustrated postcards are said to be those introduced by a French stationer in 1870. He realized that French troops fighting in the Franco-Prussian War needed to be able to send short messages to their families and designed a 'postcard' to suit the purpose. As many of the soldiers were illiterate they decorated their cards with sketches of their many activities at the front rather than writing; thus creating a picture postcard. Private enterprise soon saw the great financial possibilities of this new easy and attractive way of communication by post; also sending a postcard cost less than postage for letters. It was correctly assumed that postcards were likely to overtake letter writing in many instances.|Between 1875 and 1882 every state in Australia introduced official postcards, N.S.W. first and Tasmania last. Each state produced a simple type of postcard with a pre printed stamp allied to that state. The stamp side stated 'The Address Only To Be Written On This Side'; the reverse side sometimes carried a simple illustration or decoration with space fora short message, each state extolling their own state's virtues. In 1901, with the advent of Federation, the new Government became responsible for all postal services in Australia and produced postcards for sale in every state. With several mail deliveries each day in most towns, postcards were used for many purposes. One 1906 postcard, with an illustration of fruit, was sent from Mrs X in the morning to her greengrocer ordering her fruit and vegetables to be delivered that afternoon. Another lady asks her charlady to 'come this afternoon'.|Australian private enterprise also began selling pictorial postcards, most companies using the very experienced German printing works who were the worlds best in the field of lithography and fine detailed colour-printing. Many of these beautiful German cards still exist today, 100 years later. Australia did have a few fine printers but they were in the minority. Black and white postcards printed in Australia in the early 1900s were often of good quality e.g. postcards printed by 'The Bulletin', illustrating the works of 'The Bulletins' top artists.|Between c1903-09 The Melbourne company Osboldstone and Atkins etc. printed coloured reproductions of 46 J.A. Turner bush/rural life paintings, which were generally of good quality and became hugely popular and still sought after today. Like thousands of homes in Europe, Britain and U.S.A., many Australia homes had albums of cherished postcards, which were given pride of place for visitors to see and enjoy.|Postcard collecting remained popular but was changing with the times. About 1912 the Australian photographer George Rose of Melbourne began to produce topographical B/W real photographic postcards covering most of Australia and other photographers began to do likewise. These cards soon found their way into collections as well.|WWI and the horrors of war suddenly changed the world; postcards were still in great demand but the subject matter was far more serious. Thousands of postcards from the trenches in European war zones arrived in Australia to be included in family albums. Propaganda and recruitment messages were produced to encourage enlistment. Australian postcard producers began to create cards decorated with gum leaves, boomerangs, wattle etc., which were designed for sending to Australian troops serving overseas. Very few 'pretty' cards were available, as access to the Gentian printing works was no longer possible and exporting of postcards from Britain was very limited. By the end of WWI people had other more serious problems to contend with and the avid postcard collecting hobby declined, fold greetings took over and topographical photographic postcards became a small but steady income for the producers and newsagents etc. in every town.|Fortunately many of these old postcards still exist and are avidly collected by a new generation or postcard collectors. The Australian Cartophilic Society Inc. is one of four postcard/cigarette card organizations in Australia. They are, N.S.W. Post Card Collectors Society; Queensland Card Collectors' Society Inc. and West Australian Card Collectors|Society, and across the Tasman there is a New Zealand Postcard Society.|References:|Picture Postcards of the Golden Age A Collector's Guide by Toni & Valmai Holt. Picture Postcards in Australia 1898 - 1920 by David CookBox of Cigarette Silks ( 10 ) depicting animal motifs, which were placed in cigarette packets as an incentive for women in particular to smoke.|WD & HO Wills|Produced 1911 - 1917personal effects, smoking accessories, recreations, collections

Flat round disc enclosed in cardboard container with round thumbhole at top which allows manipulation of disc.New Style Ready Reckoner --- Made in Great Britian.instruments, measuring