Magnificent Soviet Felix M Calculator in Museum Condition. USSR, 1970's

This impressive mechanical calculator is a Felix M model, made in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. The calculator is in amazing condition, almost mint, and looks as it had never been used before. As well as showing off a wonderful look, this machine works perfectly and makes it possible to perform arithmetic operations with fully reliable results. Its outside look really catches the eye: the metal is finished with two types of light ochre enamel, matt-finished and golden hammered-finished. The calculators mobile parts are made of chrome-plated metal and look even, shiny and almost impeccable. There are also two black plastic knobs that provide an interesting contrast. The numbers are painted white and so are the brand and the model, ????X ? (FELIX M). In the right bottom corner we can see the calculators serial number, 111790. Last but not least, at the back of this great machine there is a silvery and black metal plate screwed to the metal body. It bears a Russian Cyrillic inscription with the letters CCCP, the Russian abbreviation of USSR. Powerfully decorative and in a flawless working order, this Felix M calculator is a collectors piece with a fascinating history behind. Felix Calculators History The first pinwheel calculator was designed by W.T. Odhner in Saint Petersburg in 1886. After the Revolution of 1917, the USSR government nationalized the invention. The Soviets kept on manufacturing Odhner aritmomethers (calculators) under the Iron Felix name after a famous and dark character: Felix Dzerzhinsky. Dzerzhinsky founded the Soviet calculator factory in Moscow in 1924, and was also the founder of the famous Cheka (Bolshevik secret police). He was sadly notorious for his hardness and was awarded the nickname Iron Felix, just like the calculator, among his own colleagues.