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NCR – An Old Relic of a Machine

January 28, 2015 By Jill Flory 8 Comments

28 Jan

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NCR – National Cash Register

vintage cash register

The first mechanical cash register was invented in 1879 by James Ritty. In 1884, the company and patents were bought by John and Frank Patterson and the firm was renamed the National Cash Register Company.  The first machines were expensive – $50 – which at the end of the 1800’s was a lot of money!  The company owners were convinced though, that once shopkeepers learned how much the machines would help business they would buy them.  One big selling point they pushed was the security – the cash register was hard to steal.

vintage cash register

I can vouch for that point – these machines are heavy!  No one was going to grab one and haul off with it quickly or easily!  If it could be securely locked you could rest pretty easy that your business money was secure.

The brothers sales plan worked and NCR grew quickly and became multi-national in 1888.  Between 1893 and 1906 the company acquired several smaller cash register companies, and by 1911 had sold one million machines.  By 1922 2 million.

vintage cash register This National Cash Register has seen some wear.  It’s put it its time, kept its cash safe, been a wonderful tool for some entrepreneur somewhere.

vintage cash register (4 of 8)

It’s rough, this old relic.  The gears and pieces are locked up tight – it appears to have sat in a barn or even outside for awhile.  It isn’t ornate or carved or made of expensive brass or gold.  It’s not shiny, smooth wood.  It’s old metal that appears to have no purpose but should be melted down and made into something new.vintage cash register (1 of 8)

And yet for a vintage lover there is something so cool and appealing about this piece.  It’s a fun mint green color.  The keys are cool.  It’s metal and industrial and just neat – even if it doesn’t work anymore.vintage cash register (7 of 8)

Open the top and the insides make you wonder just how this worked and what each piece did.

My hubby and teenager spent awhile looking at it and discussing it and trying to figure out just what each piece did and how it functioned.

vintage cash register (8 of 8)

My teenager sees many pieces that would be cool to turn into something else – some jewelry  perhaps.  vintage cash register (6 of 8)

I’d like to get all the other tabs out to see what all they say.  Some deconstruction may be in this old relic’s future.  I bought it from a friend and if I can manage to get it to the shop I may use it in a fun display there this spring.  But since I can’t carry it by myself (it’s all I do to carry it with another person) I may have to let my husband and daughter deconstruct it.

It was really fun to see them inspecting this and discussing it together.  If they can have fun deconstructing this into some pieces that can be repurposed into other things I’ll be fine with that.

What would you do with this if it were yours?

Jill

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Filed Under: Home Decor, Vintage

About Jill Flory

I am the blogger behind this blog, a small business owner, both retail and wholesale. I'm a designer and design consultant, I blog about DIY projects, sewing tips and tutorials I've picked up along the way in the more than 25 years I've been using needle, thread, and machine, home decor, homeschooling, and life.

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Comments

  1. Becky King says

    January 28, 2015 at 11:10 am

    My uncles worked at NCR in Dayton so this piece is very nostalgic to me, thinking of the times I heard them talk about NCR. Seems like they called it Cash for short.

    Reply
    • Jill Flory says

      January 28, 2015 at 1:14 pm

      🙂 Travis was talking about that too! Thought it was pretty fun to say ‘We work for CASH’!

      Reply
  2. Laura Ingalls Gunn says

    January 28, 2015 at 12:25 pm

    Oh that minty green is perfection!
    http://www.decortoadore.net/2015/01/art-for-storybook-cottage-living-room.html

    Reply
    • Jill Flory says

      January 28, 2015 at 1:14 pm

      It is isn’t it Laura?! I’m hoping to keep the shell intact somehow to use for a prop piece of some sort.

      Reply
  3. Mrs. K says

    January 29, 2015 at 10:45 pm

    That’s really cool! I don’t know what I’d do with it once I got it apart but I thought along the same lines as Emma that those keys would be cool for jewelry or something. And those tabs!!! How fun!

    Reply
    • Jill Flory says

      February 1, 2015 at 6:11 pm

      Not sure what all we may do with it – it’s cool to have though!

      Reply
  4. linda says

    April 30, 2015 at 6:58 am

    Hiya Jill,

    I stumbled upon your page as we happened to have bought an exact same register today at a thrift shop (in the Netherlands)

    Our register has been modified to support electricity and sold as a second hand register in 1952. That’s all the details I can find. We are also hoping to get it (more or less) working again. Big dreams, hehe..

    Best wishes from the Netherlands!

    Reply
    • Jill Flory says

      April 30, 2015 at 9:48 pm

      How fun! I hope you can get yours working!

      Reply

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Hello, I’m Jill, and this is my handsome hubby, Travis.  I write the blog, I make all the handmade home decor, I have the creative ideas. He helps behind the scenes, bringing my creative ideas to life when I need assistance, and encouraging me along the way.

This site contains lots of DIY projects with detailed instructions, my home decor, and my handmade home decor I sell in the shop.

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