c. 1700
Pierre Fardoil Adding Machine & Watch / Time Piece
I am half owner of the
18th Century Pierre Fardoil Adder / Adding Machine and Fardoil Watch / Time
Piece pictured. I am selling my 1/2 share in this early Fardoil Adder. The other half owner is Peter Frei, an antique dealer based in Massachusetts.
Since I have started trying to sell my 1/2 share in the Fardoil Peter
Frei now claims we are not, and never were partners in the Fardoil. That is a
strange claim for him to make given our past history and communications
regarding the Fardoil. It also has the effect of him finally putting in
writing what his true intent has been.Below is a condensed history regarding our partnership and the Fardoil Adder.
Approximately 10 years ago after buying the Fardoil Adder and timepiece from a private party as 50/50 partners, the Fardoil adder and Fardoil time piece were sent to the Breker auction in Germany where they "sold" for approx. $74,000. That "sale" failed after the winning bidder backed out for reasons explained later. The Fardoil Adder / Adding Machine and Fardoil Pocket Watch pictured here are the very same 2 pieces that were offered at the Auction-Team Breker sale. That auction write-up and result, with no mention that the sale failed, can be found online at Liveauctioneers.com/item/36708195_the-adding-machine-of-pierre-fardoil-c-1700.
Shortly after the failed Fardoil sale Peter Frei, in a fit of faux outrage, declared we were no longer friends over a situation concerning an antique sewing machine we were also 50/50 partners on. At that time he did admit, in writing, that we were partners in the Fardoil. He has alluded to that fact numerous times in writing since then.
Peter and I had been partners in several other technology-related antiques prior to having a falling out over that sewing machine. Here is a concise telling of the story about it. At an auction, Peter bought and I paid for the base of a Fancy Leg Florence sewing machine base that had no head. I later found and bought the missing head and sent that to Peter, basically completing the machine.
Peter then, without consulting or discussing with me, entered into an agreement with a 3rd party offering that dealer 50% to sell the sewing machine. That reduced me to a 25% junior partner. When I questioned that, Peter, in a fit of faux rage, declared we were no longer friends and that our partnership was over. Recently Peter completely rewrote the history of that event, claiming he sent just the base to Brekers Auction and we simply split the proceeds. That telling of the story was a complete factual fabrication. That is easily provable. There are more details and facets to this story that are irrelevant to this sale and do not need to be retold right now but I have, in written correspondence with Peter what happened that clearly shows what transpired.
NEW DEVELOPEMENTS: There have been new developments since I have begun to try to sell my 50% / half share in the Fardoil.
First, Peter Frei removed the ad for the Fardoil from his website where it had been listed for sale for appox. $74,000. When I wrote Peter inquiring why, asking if it had been sold, or what his intentions were, he did not respond. In addition to the ad for the Fardoil on my two websites I also ran an ad on eBay so that a broader audience would be able to view it.
Peter Frei complained, not to me, but to eBay and had that ad taken down. He then posted his own version of an "ad" which in reality was just a rant / personal attack in which he claimed we were not, and had never been partners, and further claimed that he is sole owner and had only offered to split the proceeds of the sale of the Fardoil with me out of the kindness of his heart. But now that I had upset him, I am no longer due or entitled to anything. In his own words "my generosity has its limits"
For the last 10 years we quietly tried to work with him to settle up for the Fardoil always fearing he would make that claim. Given his current actions it is now clear Peter has no intention of honoring our partnership and splitting the proceeds from the sale of the Fardoil. And now when I have finally gone public and am attempting to sell my share of the Fardoil he has lashed out with personal attacks and delusional claims of sole ownership.
I am still rightfully and legally half-owner of the Fardoil and owed half of the proceeds if, or when, the Fardoil is sold. For the last 10 years Peter Frei has masked his true intent, stalling and hedging, but he has now put in writing what his true intent is / has been and I believe has opened the door for a legal action to resolve a relatively simple question.
There is no question that I can prove my half ownership rights. I can also prove I paid for half of the 2 pieces and have never received any compensation. I can also demonstrate that Peter Frei's ownership claims and the related story have changed over time, flip-flopping around depending on circumstances or his mood. In other words he has demonstrated that he has little credibility by changing his story over time. My story, backed in writing, has not changed.
I am not a lawyer, nor in a position to begin any legal actions myself to assert a legal ownership claim, but if credibility and truth still matter in this current era of "fake news" we now live in, it would seem a legal claim in court has good probability of being successful.
Another important development is the French museum CNAM, who 10 years ago had expressed an ownership claim prior to the Breker auction which helped cause the failed auction, have recently expressed no interest or ownership rights in the Fardoil, even when offered my 1/2 share as a donation that would have given them a legitimate ownership claim.
Below is the history / background of this rare piece of calculation history and my interactions with Peter Frei since the failed auction so potential buyers can have a better understanding of the background and get a sense of what to expect, or develop a plan on how to proceed.
The Fardoil adder was bought in upstate NY prior to the Breker auction from a private party. The owners contacted me first and I made an appointment to go see it. They told me that the adder had been "found" in New York, and the now deceased "finder" had been a caretaker / custodian / groundskeeper / employee when he "found" it. The family told me they had had it appraised at Sotheby's or Christies auction house for approx. 5K. I offered to purchase it from them for the same amount in cash.
The family / sellers initially said no. Months later the owners called me and said they were ready to sell the Fardoil. Because I was back in CA at that point I called Peter and offered him a 50/50 partnership to go and get it. He agreed and went and purchased it. We split the cost 50/50. Peter later found and bought the Fardoil watch and we split the cost of that as well. I have never received any compensation for those monetary outlays.
Those are facts that are not disputable although in his current writings Peter has now attempted to rewrite history with a story line that is easily refutable. We had a history of similar "gentleman's agreements / deals" in the past. There was nothing unusual or out of the norm about those deals or this one. I believe that given his flip flopping changing story in regard to the Fardoil, and the sewing machine episode, Peter will have no credibility when confronted with his past written statements.
Peter handled consigning the Fardoil to Breker's Auction. Prior to the auction the French Musee des Arts et Metiers / CNMA expressed an ownership right and claimed their Fardoil adder was "lost", stolen, or otherwise disappeared from their collection when it was on display in the US during the 1939 New York World's Fair. The Breker auction failed after the CNAM cast doubt on the rightful ownership of the Fardoil and the Arithmeum Museum, who was the high bidder at the auction, backed out of the sale.
This Fardoil could be the only known example if it is the same one that the CNAM expressed an ownership right to prior to the Breker auction. After the auction failed to produce a sale Peter attempted to market the Fardoil to the underbidder and other parties. Later the CNAM made a relatively low offer, not to purchase the Fardoil, but rather as compensation for having found it and returning it. That offer was rejected.
The high bidder at the Breker auction for the Fardoil Adder had been Professor Korte from the University of Bonn. He was bidding to acquire it for the Arithmeum Museum in Bonn, Germany. My understanding is that Korte backed out from finalizing the Breker auction sale due to the CNAM claim that the Fardoil was rightfully theirs. Because of the controversy this created the underbidder also backed away when it was offered to him after the auction. The two Fardoil pieces were then returned to the consignors---myself and Peter Frei. Peter Frei now has possession of both pieces.
Then something akin to the storyline in Lord of the Rings began to unfold, and the "my precious" concept, much like with Gollum and his "my precious / the ring" in that story, began to take hold. Peter, despite saying he was ready to sell, and that he wanted to sell the Fardoil, could not bear to let the Fardoil go, or have it leave his hands.
The disclosure of these details is necessary because I want to insure there are no claims of non-disclosure or other problems down the road from a buyer or new partner in my half share. The attempts after the failed auction for Peter and I to settle up on the Fardoil also need be told so that potential parties are fully informed and can better formulate a plan of how to proceed with Peter.
After the failed auction, and over the next 10 years, Peter offered several proposals to resolve the Fardoil situation between us, all in writing and documented. Peter reneged on following through on every one of them. For the record, we will review some of Peter Fries' past proposals:
Immediately after the auction Peter wrote that if the high bidder or under bidder would not pay the original sale price it had brought at auction he would simply buy us out for 1/2 of the high bid, as we both felt it had not reached its full potential because of the French interference. He never followed through on that proposal, later claiming it was just a negotiation tactic.
Shortly after the auction Peter announced we would settle up over the Fardoil by having a private auction between us, with a third party holding the Fardoil until that process was complete. We agreed to that proposal. He later reneged on that proposal claiming he did not have enough money to proceed.
Peter next demanded we wait, and be patient, as the Fardoil was, in his words, "burned" and its value diminished by the French claims, and the failed auction.
In 2019, 5 years after the auction and after numerous requests by us to resolve the situation, Peter said to wait one more year to see if he could sell the Fardoil from his new website. In writing he said that if it did not sell from his website at the end of the 1 year period we would send it to auction again. He proposed that in writing and then reneged on that solution with no explanation, and just offered lame excuses about being busy, or having other irrelevant personal issues.
Peter next suggested we should name a price he could buy us out at, with the stipulation that he would need 6 months to gather the money, a proposal that was neither fair nor equitable, but in the interest of ending this ordeal we proposed selling our half interest to him for $18K --- approx. 25% of the original sale price of $74K it had reached at the Breker auction. $18K equated to approx. 50% of what we were due had the auction succeeded---a fair and reasonable offer to resolve this.
In writing Peter rejected that offer outright and said he would never pay that amount. He offered no meaningful counter or further discussion. That was over 2 years ago, much longer than the 6 months he said would be needed to raise funds to buy us out, once again reneging on a proposal he himself put forward.
Most recently in Dec of 2024 we suggested listing it for sale on our own two websites, Patented-Antiques.com, and AntiqBuyer.com, at a lower price, to give it more exposure, and to enhance its desirability and value. To do that we needed to discuss a price beforehand that we could all agree to. Peter declined to discuss a lower price and then hours later wrote that he alone would decide if he would agree to a lower price---AFTER I found a buyer---a stupid and unworkable proposal not worth discussing further, and mentioned here only to illustrate the absurdity and his "my precious" attitude.
We next sent him a demand letter outlining his prior proposals as outlined above, and demanded he act on one of them or I was going to try a new approach, that being selling my 1/2 share, or donating it to the French so they would have a legitimate legal claim of ownership that they could pursue. He responded, and I paraphrase, Good luck with that, and stopped all further communication.
After that we decided to proceed with the plan to sell our 1/2 share, or take on a new partner in our 1/2 share / half interest in the Fardoil, or donate our half share to an interested party with just a few conditions or caveats. Bottom line, at this point, I am willing to sell my interest in the Fardoil for nothing more than a small earnest money deposit. I am simply looking for a qualified and acceptable party to make a reasonable proposal or propose a course of action to pursue that will rectify the situation. With that relatively low dollar amount as a baseline there is a lot of room for a qualified and interested party to add an important piece to their collection for a very small cash outlay, after a positive resolution.
I will sign an acceptable agreement drawn up by the new partner, their lawyer, or other representative. If the French / CNAM want to reconsider their ownership position and establish a legitimate 1/2 ownership to the Fardoil I will still extend this offer to them as well.
This proposal for my half interest in the Fardoil would be a great deal for the right person or entity who thinks they can better deal with Peter Frei and somehow force a sale or close the deal. Just think, a documented 1/2 ownership in a rare probably one-of-a-kind and unique piece of calculation history for a fraction of its potential value!
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FARDOIL
Fine . . . . . . $1,000.00 . . . . . Earnest Deposit
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
The Universal Adder Patented July 15th 1890 George B. Fowler of Chicago, Illinois, was granted his first patent (US39222)
On 14th July, 1863, for an adding machine. The patent model of his sliding
bar adder is
viewable online. In 1890 Fowler received a second patent (US432266) for
an improved version of his adder that was renamed
The Universal Adding Machine. It was sold by the
Universal Adding Machine Co., NY, NY, for $8. It was an improvement with essentially
the same appearance as his earlier patent. Both patents can be found online.This sliding bar adder, according to the info on the front case, was patented in England, France, Germany, and Canada as well as the US. It was a well done and interesting design, with a window in the back of the unit to view the current result. There is a site that gives a good history and instructions on how to operate and view the results. That can be found here
https://arquivo.fluxo.info/conteudo/history-computer.com/history-computer.com/CalculatingTools/Gadgets/Fowler.html
The body has an ever so slight warp making sliding the bottom two million scales a bit harder to move. Overall the condition is very nice with just minor losses to the finish on the front. There is also a paper label and instructions with some losses on the backside as can be seen in the pictures.
It is interesting to note that the only other example of a "Universal Adding Machine" of the same design and with the same finish as this one Google knows about was one I sold over 20 years ago and is on my past sales website. https://www.antiqbuyer.com/past-sale-archives/scientific/sliderules-1.htm Indicating it is a pretty rare piece of calculation history.
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MNA-UNI-ADD
Fine. . . . . $995.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
K
& E / Keuffel & Esser Thacher's / Thatcher
Calculating Instrument Calculator / Slide Rule
15 Page Instruction Pamphlet All
original, not a reprint. I am not sure if this ever had a cover or not.
It is instructions and testimonials, 15 pages all told for an early Thacher
/ Thatcher calculator. I see no date, nor do I see a model number to
indicate if this predates K & E numbering their Thacher the 4100.
I think it is correct with 15 pages and was a supplemental, or quick guide,
as opposed to a full set of instructions. The condition is as seen.
Frayed w/ loose pages.
THACH-CAL-15
Fair . . . . . . $20.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Steam & Electrical
Thomas Edison's
Edison System Ampere Meter This Edison System ampere meter is a rare
and important piece of Electrical history. The condition of this large and
unusual Edison amp meter is exceptional. The scale reads up to 264 amps, off the scale, indicating this meter must have been
used with a huge dynamo or motor.
This Edison meter measures approx. 10" across and 16" tall. The back of the case is cast iron. The etched glass face is flawless. The previous owner made a copy of the paper scale to cover the original scale to help preserve it. The original paper scale is behind the copy on the face in the pics. It is in nice condition.
The wooden case is original finish and in fine condition. The interior workings look like new. The wooden case is stamped in two places with Elec. Eng. Dept. L.S.J.U. which is Stanford University in Palo Alto CA.
A super nice and rare piece of American Electrical History that will display well and be a great addition to the old office, electrical, scientific or related collection! Nice!!
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AMN-ED-METER
Fine . . . . . $3750.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Wm. Boekel & Co.
/ General Electric 3 Speed Motor This Antique 3 Speed Vertical Shaft Electric
Motor is tagged Wm. Boekel & Company. The tag names General Electric
as the maker of the motor. The tag also reads 1/25 HP. 115 V. 1900 rpm. along with more info.
This unusual vertical shaft electric motor stands approx. 9" tall to the top of the 1/4" shaft. The cast iron body has a great look with its flared bell shape bottom. It weighs a good 15 lbs. The original paint is approx. 90%. It runs great on all three speeds.
Google could not find another exact example although a fan site had another ekel vertical shaft motor by a different maker.
There is plenty of info on the original Boekel company and examples of other products they sold. It seems they mostly dealt in lab equipment and different pumps back when. They were based in PA and are still in business today under a slightly different name.
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LCM-MOTOR
Fine . . . . . . $100.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Cretors Co. of Chicago Ill.
Engine No. 7093 Popcorn Machine Steam Engine
This sale is for the Cretors Co.
of Chicago Ill.
Popcorn Machine
No. 7093 Steam Engine pictured. This Cretor steam engine has an insulated
electrical powered water reservoir mounted on the board behind it. A
feature I have never seen with one of these steam engines.
Cretor steam engines are usually associated with popcorn vending carts that were prevalent and popular back near the turn of the century. The brass id tag w/ the maker name, patent info, and engine # are on the cast iron base.
The steam engine appears to have been repainted. It is currently set up to run on air, and runs nicely. The electric water tank / heater looks OK but has not been tested. The flyball governor is intact, and it has what appears to be a shop made whistle.
What is here all looks to be in good working condition. I have built a custom crate for it to be shipped in. If there are questions ask.
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OR-CRETOR
Good + . . . . . . $3250.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
"Auto-Fedan" Salesman Sample Hay Press
/ Baler This salesman Sample Hay Press /
Baler was acquired directly from a relative of the original owner / inventor
Edward Ross. It is very graphic and great looking salesman sample in its
original wooden carry case.
A brief bio on Edward Ross and some info on his hay press company can be found online. There are also ads for the machine being sold online. I could not get a patent to come up. Several hay presses in Wendel's reference on American Farm Implements & Antiques look very similar which might explain that if Ross brought the rights to the patent before marketing the idea. Other explanations are possible as well. I did not find any reference to any full size machines in museums or elsewhere.
The operation is a bit stiff, but it does seem to work as you make the long arm revolve as it would when it was horse powered. The advertising touts it as self loading and that not as many hands were necessary to operate it. Pictures show it with wheels, but the idea was, as I read one ads discription, was that you rolled it into place and then took the wheels off to better anchor it during use and make it easier for the horses to pass over the frame. Nice!!
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CON-HAY-P
Good . . . . . $3750.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Bradley Salesman Sample Mower / Mowing Machine
This is the real deal. It is very graphic and looks great. The gear
box cover has Bradley info on it that is readable and shows wear.
There is also a tag that identifies C. M. Clinton of Ithaca NY as the maker.
He is a known model maker and this tag is known on other Bradley farm
implement salesman samples.
The mower blades work as intended. The clutch works. The fold out tool box under the wooden bar is a nice touch. I have the long tongue. It is original and nice and was removed to make storage and transport easier. The seat appears to be a non-magnetic recast. A rare and unusual piece. While salesman sample mowers are out there and do turn up, the Bradley Mower offered here is seen much less often. Nice!!
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JF-BRAD-MOW
Good . . . . . SOLD!!
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Bradley Salesman Sample
Hay Rake
The real deal. This Bradley Hay Rake is very graphic, authentic and looks great. There is also a tag that identifies C. M. Clinton of Ithaca NY as the maker.
He is a known model maker and this tag is known on other Bradley farm
implement salesman samples.
The seat is a Cut-out that spells Bradley and below that is Syracuse where Bradley was located. A rare and unusual piece. While salesman sample rakes are out there and do turn up, Bradley salesman samples are seen much less often. Nice!!
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JF-BRAD-RAKE
Good . . . . . SOLD!!
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
We buy quality Antiques
in this and other categories of Antiques.
To view examples of the types of antiques and collectibles we have previously sold
and are always interested in buying please visit our Past Sales Archive Pages
at our sister website www.AntiqBuyer.com.