c. 1700
Pierre Fardoil Adding Machine & Watch / Time Piece
I am half owner of this
18th Century Pierre Fardoil Adder / Adding Machine and Fardoil Watch / Time
Piece and am offering my share for sale or as a partnership. The other half owner is Peter Frei, an antique dealer based in Mass. Approximately
10 years ago after buying the Fardoil Adder as 50/50 partners we sent it and the
Fardoil time piece to the Breker auction, where they "sold" for approx. $74,000.
The winning bidder backed out and the sale failed as explained below.
The 2 pieces pictured are the same Fardoil Adder / Adding Machine and Fardoil Pocket Watch offered at the Auction-Team Breker sale about 10 years ago. That auction write-up and result can be found online at Liveauctioneers.com/item/36708195_the-adding-machine-of-pierre-fardoil-c-1700.
Shortly after the failed auction for the Fardoil my partner Peter Frei, in a fit of faux outrage over a situation concerning an antique sewing machine we were also 50/50 partners on, declared we were no longer friends. He did admit, in writing, that we were still partners in the Fardoil. He has previously acknowledged that numerous times in writing. The story surrounding that sewing machine event is described below, as it is somewhat relevant to the big picture, but not relevant to this offer to sell my 1/2 share ownership in the Fardoil adder, or to sell a percentage of it as a partnership.
NEW DEVELOPEMENTS: There have been new developments concerning the Fardoil and my efforts to settle up with Peter Frei since I have begun to try to sell my half share in the Fardoil.
First, Peter Frei has removed the ad for the Fardoil from his website, where it had been listed for sale. When I wrote Peter inquiring why, and if it had been sold, or what his intentions were, he did not respond. Given his current actions and silence it appears Peter has no intention of honoring our partnership or splitting the proceeds of a sale 50/50, with me, or a new owner / partner.
No matter what Peter Frei thinks, has done, or what his true intentions are, I am still rightfully and legally half-owner of the Fardoil and owed half of the proceeds if, or when, the Fardoil is sold. Given the fact that Peter Frei no longer responds to emails or otherwise communicates with me I have decided to offer a new revised proposal to sell my 1/2 share to a qualified buyer or partner, or take on a qualified partner who presents a workable plan to force a sale, after which the proceeds would be split between the parties.
Another important new development is the French museum CNAM, who had previously expressed an ownership claim prior to the auction 10 years ago, have now expressed no interest or ownership rights in the Fardoil as they had before. The CNAM expressed no interest even when a legitimate legal ownership right was offered as a donation.
Given the current situation I believe that a legal action is the only course of action that will resolve this situation with Peter Frei. Given Peter's recent and past actions I believe he has opened the door to a successful legal remedy using the courts to force the sale. There is no question that I can prove my half ownership rights, but I am not a lawyer, nor in a position to begin any legal actions to assert an ownership claim myself.
Given that, I am willing to sell my interest in the Fardoil for an agreed upon amount to be paid AFTER a sale is forced or negotiated with Peter Frei. Or, I am willing to take on a partner who will pursue a claim to that end for an agreed amount or percentage. At this point, I am simply looking for a qualified and acceptable party to make a reasonable proposal that will, at a minimum, make me whole again after the situation is resolved. With that relatively low dollar amount as a baseline there is a lot of room for profit, or a good way for an qualified and interested party to add an important piece to their collection for little upfront investment.
I propose that the initial investment be nothing more than a concrete acceptable proposal from a third party or some other entity to pursue this legally or otherwise to force the sale with an agreed upon split after resolution. I will sign an acceptable agreement drawn up by the new partner, his or her lawyer, or other representative. If the French / CNAM want to reconsider their position and establish a legitimate 1/2 ownership to the Fardoil I will still extend this offer to them if approached with a reasonable proposal.
Below is the history / background of this rare piece of calculation history and my interactions with Peter Frei since the failed auction.
The high bidder at the Breker auction for the Fardoil Adder was 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, the high bidder, backed out from finalizing the Breker auction sale due to the CNAM claim that the Fardoil was rightfully theirs. Because of the controversy the underbidder also backed away when it was offered to him.
The two Fardoil pieces were then returned to the consignors---myself and Peter Frei, who now has possession of both pieces. Peter Frei and I had been partners in numerous technology-related antiques prior to having a falling out over a situation concerning an antique sewing machine I had paid for that we were 50/50 partners on.
To briefly explain that situation, Peter entered into an agreement with a 3rd party offering that person 50% to sell the sewing machine without consulting or discussing that move with me. That action made me 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. There are more details and facets to this story that are irrelevant to this sale and do not need to be retold here.
What should be told is the story of who first found the adder --- that would be me --- and details surrounding that event.
This Fardoil adder was bought in upstate NY prior to the Breker auction from a private party. It is one of only two known, and could be the only known example if it is the same one that the French Musee des Arts et Metiers (CNAM), the French State Museum, had expressed an ownership right to prior to the auction. CNMA had 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 sellers of the Fardoil lived in upstate NY. They 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, but months later called me and said they were ready to sell the Fardoil. As I was back in CA I called Peter and enlisted him to go and get it. I offered him a 50/50 partnership on the Fardoil. He agreed and went and got it. We split the cost 50/50. He later bought the Fardoil watch and we split the cost of that as well. I have never received any compensation for those outlays. Those are facts that are not disputable.
Peter handled consigning the Fardoil to Breker's Auction. The Breker auction failed after the French Musee des Arts et Metiers / CNAM cast doubt on the rightful ownership of the Fardoil and the Arithmeum Museum backed out of the sale. After the auction failed to produce a sale Peter attempted to market the Fardoil to the under bidder and other parties. To the best of my knowledge those attempts failed. 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.
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" in the Lord of the Rings 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 should also be told so that potential parties are fully informed and can better formulate a plan to finalize or force the sale 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, let's 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 claiming he did not have enough money.
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 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.
Peter rejected that offer outright, in writing, saying he would never pay that amount, with 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 two websites 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 both agree to. Peter declined, and then hours later wrote 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 attitude.
We next sent him a demand letter outlining his prior proposals 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 cut off further communication.
After all of that we have decided 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. 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, close the deal, or force a sale. Just think, a documented ownership in a rare probably one-of-a-kind and unique piece of calculation history for potentially a fraction of its potential value!
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FARDOIL
Fine . . . . . . $
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Type I Curta Calculator Serial No. 21577
This Type I Curta serial # is 21577 and was produced in 1953 a
few years after production began.. This Curta Calculator is in
excellent condition and operates smoothly and flawlessly. The
body is very nice and shows little if any wear or tear. The
metal case is in fine condition as well.The Curta calculator was invented by Curt Herzstark while imprisoned in a German concentration camp during World War II. This interesting design calculator was the top of the line hand held manual calculator in its day and was immensely popular before the advent of the handheld electronic calculator which essentially made them obsolete in the 70's.
They were made up until about 1970 and all told about 150,00 both Type 1 & Type 2 models were made. They are highly collectible pieces of calculation history, and an important example of calculation technology in the scheme of things.
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LCM-CURT-21577
Fine . . . . . $1800.00 SOLD!!
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Type
II Curta Calculator 549950 This Curta with
its original shipping box and paperwork in a plastic case is in fine
condition. The serial No. is 549950. This Type II Curta Calculator is in excellent
condition and operates smoothly and flawlessly. The body shows little if any wear or tear. The
plastic case is very nice with little to no scuffs either. The outer cardboard shipping
box has some bug damage where the insects found the white lettering
to be tasty. They did not make it inside, or get to the
included paperwork.The Curta calculator was invented by Curt Herzstark while imprisoned in a German concentration camp during World War II. This interesting design calculator was the top of the line hand held manual calculator in its day and was immensely popular before the advent of the handheld electronic calculator which essentially made them obsolete in the 70's.
They were made up until about 1970 and all told about 150,00 both Type 1 & Type 2 models were made. They are highly collectible pieces of calculation history, and an important example of calculation technology in the scheme of things.
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LCM-SCURT-549950
Fine. . . . . $2450.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Loga 30 R C Circular Slide Rule / Calculating Disc Also marked USTER - SCHWEIZ.
This Swiss made two-sided circular slide rule does it all. These came in
different models, and the 30 R C does all sorts of Business
related weight & measure conversions. It also does money
conversion. It looks like British monetary units are on the
outside rings on one side.
The instrument is 5 inches across. The case is 6 inches across. This is beautifully made and in Fine condition. It comes with the original, zippered leather pouch and a booklet of instructions. Also in Very Good condition.
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SR-LOGA
Fine . . . . . . $80.00
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 . . . . . . $195.00
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Cretors Co. of Chicago Ill.
Engine No. 7093 Popcorn Machine Steam Engine
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 before. These 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 engine and water
tank are mounted on a wooden board.
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 has not been tested. The flyball governor is intact, and it has what appears to be a shop made whistle.
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OR-CRETOR
Good + . . . . . . $3250.00
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 . . . . . $9500.00 HOLD!!
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 . . . . . $8500.00 HOLD!!
To Order Email: patentedantiques@gmail.com
Thomas A. Edison Battery Powered Electric Fan Motor This T.
A. Edison
battery powered fan motor is in
very nice overall condition. The paint has some losses.
There is gold decorations It runs well on a 6 volt
battery. The blade and cage look OK but the cage and or
its supports appear to be early after market creations that are
not original. These early Edison fans are getting harder and harder to find.
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OH-ED-FAN
Good + . . . . . $3750.00
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.