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You know those old, clunky pocket calculators from the 60s, 70s, and 80s? Well, the next time you come across a specimen, instead of thinking "obsolete," think "vintage."
Successors to the electrically-powered mechanical calculators of the first half of the Twentieth Century, the earliest portable electronic units were really too big to be carried in pockets. Jack Kilby of Texas Instruments (TI) had invented the integrated circuit (IC) in 1958, and the company decided that they would do for the IC what they had done for the transistor (the transistor radio). The result was the 1967 battery-powered, hand-held "CalTech."
It weighed almost 3 pounds.
The CalTech was a prototype, but it did reach the market in 1970 as the Canon "Pocketronic." The Pocketronic, also, was too large for a pocket and is considered a hand-held.
It was not until January 1971 that the first truly pocket-sized calculator, the Busicom LE-120A, appeared on the market, and the race was on to create smaller and smaller versions of ever more functional and less costly devices.
Technological advancements in calculator displays accounted for much of the reduction in size as some of the earliest hand-helds actually printed on spools of paper or had green fluorescent tubes.
The Busicom LE-120A was the first to use Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs). But LEDs were energy hogs, and by 1976 the more energy-efficient LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) had become the standard.
And by the time solar power was introduced in 1978, calculators had shrunk to the size of credit cards.
Of course, the older and generally rarer models utilizing paper, tubes, or LEDs are considered the most collectible. So, too, are "firsts" like Hewlett-Packard's scientific HP-35, considered "the world's first electronic slide rule." About 10,000 of the first HP-35s were manufactured with a small hole near the on/off switch, and these now can command between $200 to $400+ on the secondary market, depending on condition and completeness (case, manual, charger, etc.).
Then there is the HP-25C, the first Hewlett-Packard calculator (1976-1978) upgraded with continuous memory. Today, the HP-25C can garner a respectable $450+ at online auctions.
So, the next time you see an old pocket calculator for a dollar or two, don't think junk, think "treasure."
Books
"Collector's Guide to Pocket Calculators," by Guy Ball, Bruce Flamm
http://digbig.com/4hrnr
Websites
How to Collect LED Pocket Calculators
http://www.etedeschi.ndirect.co.uk/howto3.htm
Great article by Larry Gilbert on what models to look for, and more.
The Museum of HP Calculators
http://www.hpmuseum.org
Covers just about everything anyone could possibly want to know about Hewlett-Packard calculators marketed between 1968 and 1986. Lots of photos!
Museum of Pocket Calculating Devices
http://www.calculators.de
Interesting German site with photos of "2801 calculators online".
The National Museum of American History's Chip Collection
http://smithsonianchips.si.edu
Check out sections on Chip Talk (glossary), TI (Texas Instruments), Patents, and Chip Art!
Pocket Calculator Show
http://www.pocketcalculatorshow.com
Photos of unusual calculators, links, more.
Vintage Calculators Web Museum
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/index.html
Comprehensive site offers history, timeline with "firsts", articles, photo library, more!
Also check out their Texas Instruments page
http://www.vintagecalculators.com/html/texas_instruments_calculators.html
rating relative rarity of different TI models.
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