Antique National Cash Register Keys

Posted : admin | On 15-09-2021

A Brief History of NCR

Invented in 1880, Jack Ritty’s Incorruptible Cashier forever changed the way retail establishments would conduct everyday business. The first machines were sold not only for their functional ability, but also on their beauty – a fixture which every store owner would be proud to display in his establishment. The first cash registers were housed in elegant cabinets of polished wood. In 1888 ornate cases of brass and cast iron were produced. These fancy cases on cash registers ceased in 1915 due to demand for brass during World War I. Less expensive sheet metal versions were then produced and the era of the brass cash register ended after only 27 years.

Antique National Cash Register Keys -1, 2/3, 5, 6 for 400 & 500 NCR Coca Cola Cash Register Sign Plaque Solid Metal Depression Era Style Pepsi 7UP ANTIQUE NATIONAL CASH REGISTER OVAL NUMBERS FOR MODEL 311,313,317. No keys are necessary to remove the top of an NCR 1090, very often made in 1947 and meeting the original description. But you must be able to use a straight slot screwdriver with some finesse. The assumption here is you do not have the keys. Just above the drawer there is a metal bar installed with two screws facing the front, one facing the top. Did you scroll all this way to get facts about antique cash register? Well you're in luck, because here they come. There are 434 antique cash register for sale on Etsy, and they cost $63.22 on average. The most common antique cash register material is metal. The most popular color? You guessed it: black.

Even though brass cash registers have not been manufactured since 1915, they were refurbished and sold as used registers for the next three decades. In some cases, they can even be found in use today. The quality of the mechanisms in these machines, as well as the timeless beauty of their ornate cases, make it easy to understand why these one-time common business machines have become such a sought-after and coveted antique.

Examples of early registers

This is a photograph of one of the first registers ever invented.

This is another example of a very early register - typically called a dial register.

This is a model 2 register. This detail adding register adds the sales by individual wheels that are actuated by the keys

This register is a wooden register, also called a 'woody' in the clamshell pattern.

Model Number

The model is the key to what your register is. The model number and serial number are usually located on a tag on the front of the machine. Before 1909, registers were either a one- or two-digit model number, for example, model 2, 50, 92. If your register is a push-key register and was made before 1909, the model number is usually located on an oval tag to the right of the register directly under the glass (it may say “size”). If your register has a crank on the right side, the model number is usually located on a badge between the push buttons. After 1909, National switched to a class system, and the model numbers changed. For example, a model 72 changed to a model 442 after 1909.

If your register was made after 1909, it is located on a plate dead center of your register directly under the glass. It should look like this:

Antique National Cash Register Keys

The top number is your serial number. The bottom number is your model number. The top tag represents a model 572 that has an electric motor (EL) and has 9 drawers. So, this tag is for a floor model. The other letters you may find are:

G – which is the kind of autographic printer that is on your register

L – Lights on your register

C – A fairly large register with more than one drawer that sits on a cabinet

F – A floor model register

If this tag is missing, the information might be found on a paper tag on the bottom of the cash drawer. Please refer to our parts section, we do have the capabilities to make tags. The bottom number is the model number. This model number is very important when trying to establish what kind of register you have.

Serial Number

The below table is a guide to tell you what year your National Cash Register was shipped from the factory. Registers were numbered sequentially, and not according to what model they were. The serial number is the above number on the tag on the front of your machine.

Year	Serial Number	Year	Serial Number
1889	10,000 – 20,000	1903	310,000 – 370,000
1890	20,000 – 30,000	1904	370,000 – 430,000
1891	30,000 – 40,000	1905	430,000 – 490,000
1892	40,000 – 60,000	1906	490,000 – 550,000
1893	60,000 – 70,000	1907	550,000 – 610,000
1894	70,000 – 90,000	1908	610,000 – 690,000
1895	90,000 – 100,000	1909	690,000 – 800,000
1896	100,000 – 120,000	1910	800,000 – 940,000
1897	120,000 – 140,000	1911	940,000 – 1,080,000
1898	140,000 – 160,000	1912	1,080,000 – 1,220,000
1899	160,000 – 200,000	1913	1,220,000 – 1,370,000
1900	200,000 – 230,000	1914	1,370,000 – 1,470,000
1901	230,000 – 270,000	1913	1,220,000 – 1,370,000
1902	270,000 – 310,000	1914	1,370,000 – 1,470,000

If your register has a serial number that begins with an “S”, this means that at some point your register was sent back to the factory to either be repaired or resold. It may have endcaps that don’t have holes in them to accommodate a top sign. While it is impossible to tell when the register was originally sold from the factory, the S machines were numbered as follows:

S-1	January 1880	S-1000	April 1893
S-3000	September 1894	S-5000	August 1896
S-7000	February 1898	S-9000	April 1899
S-11000	February 1900	S-13000	October 1900
S-15000	July 1901	S-17000	February 1902
S-19000	September 1902	S-21000	May 1903
S-23000	November 1903	S-25000	April 1904
S-27000	July 1904	S-29000	January 1905
S-31000	July 1905	S-33000	December 1905
S-35000	March 1906	S-37000	June 1906
S-39000	October 1906	S-41000	December 1906
S-43000	March 1907	S-45000	May 1907
S-47000	July 1907	S-49000	September 1907
S-51000	October 1907	S-53000	December 1907
S-55000	February 1908	S-57000	May 1908
S-59000	August 1908	S-61000	October 1908
S-63000	January 1909	S-65000	March 1909
S-67000	May 1909	S-69000	September 1909
S-71000	December 1909	S-73000	May 1910
S-75000	November 1910	S-77000	June, 1911
S-79000	January 1912	S-81000	October 1912
S-83000	June 1913	S-85000	January 1914
S-87000	August 1914	S-89000	January 1915
S-91000	March 1915

Case Design

National cash registers were made in red brass, nickel plate, and copper oxidized. If your register looks to be in different colors of brass, this is because at some point somebody has stripped off the old nickel plate. If your register was originally nickel plate, then most likely your drawer front is solid nickel, because this is the piece of the register that was touched most often, and National put solid nickel drawer fronts on the register so the nickel plate wouldn’t wear off. It is highly unlikely that if your register is a nickel plated register, that it will be completely one color under the nickel plate. This is because when National was putting their registers together, when they got a batch from the foundry that was different colors, National nickel plated the register.

This red brass Model 129 is an example of the Art Nouveau pattern.

Here is an example of a chicken scratch pattern. The pattern has little 'scratches' as the background of the design.

This red brass Model 313 (and most models in the 300 class) is an example of the Dolphin pattern. The sides of the case and the front lid have a large 'onion' or 'carriage'. The top sign has dolphins on either side of the top sign.

This red brass Model 442 (and most models in the 400 and 500 class) is an example of the Empire pattern.

This nickel-plated Model 5 is an example of the Fine Scroll pattern.

National Cash Register Keys

This copper-oxidized Model 240 is an example of the Fleur De Lis pattern. You will notice the fleur de lis on the sides and front of the case. These look like Boy Scout symbols.

This nickel-plated Model 11 is an example of the Ionic pattern. These machines are typically cast iron machines with a nickel plate or copper-oxidized finish.

This red brass Model 52 is an example of the Renaissance pattern. There are little four-leaf flowers on the sides and front lid of the case. There is also a ribbon on the drawer front.

This red brass Model 2 is an example of the Wide Scroll pattern.

One of the most frequently asked questions concerning cash registers is: “Should it be restored, or be left in its original condition?” Antique cash registers fall into the same category as classic automobiles. They are business machines that were purchased to perform a specific function. As soon as they were no longer functional, or something better came along, they were replaced. They were definitely not intended to be a cherished antique, passed on from generation to generation. Like a classic car, an antique register that is properly restored is more eye appealing and valuable than one in its original condition. Most antique cash registers when found are dirty, not working, and usually missing a part or two. A lot of the registers that we see have one or many coats of paint on them, because when the store was being painted, it was easier to leave the cash register where it sat, so the cash register got a coat of paint, too. In this case, a complete restoration is definitely the best way to turn the machine into something that you would display in your home or office. In the event you own a cash register that is in nice, clean original condition, it too would increase in value with restoration. However, if you like the look that only time can put on brass, you may decide to display the machine in this condition. Most collectors have cash registers in their collection that are both restored and unrestored.

However, it is an undeniable fact that a properly restored brass cash register adds a “certain something” to the room in which it is displayed.

Old National Cash Register Keys

The HBAC Group has been restoring antique cash registers for over 30 years. We are the only business in the world that devotes 100 percent of our efforts to the restoration of antique cash registers. You can be assured that when the HBAC Group restores an antique cash register for you, that the machine will return to you as you would have seen it on the National Cash Register Co. showroom floor. We treat every cash register as if it were one of our own, and we do not replace existing original parts with reproduction parts when a register is in our shop for restoration. We also do everything ourselves. We are the ones who will polish your register, will restore the mechanism and the wood. Also, because we are the parts source for antique brass cash registers, we supply all of our own parts. There are some businesses who restore antique cash registers on a part-time basis, but more than likely they purchase their parts from us, or even have us perform some of the work, driving the cost of restoration higher.

Repair & Restoration Process

Here is a brief description of the restoration process when a register is being restored in our shop:

First, we completely take the register apart. We oil the mechanism and make sure that all of the insides are working properly, including any counters. The key arms aretaken out of the regster, stripped, polished, re-nickeled and replaced back into the register. We take the brass pieces and polish the pieces in our professional buffing room, specifically designed for polishing brass cash register parts. We then apply a heat-cured lacquer so that the pieces will stay in the polished condition. If the register was originally a nickel-plated register, we strip all of the old remaining nickel off of the brass, and then buff the brass pieces. We then re-nickel the pieces just like the register was originally. Our nickel plate is a cadnium nickel plate, which was originally used by National and does not have the “chrome” look. All of the wood on the register is restored, which is usually the drawer and any type of wooden base that may be on the register. All of the graphics are professionaly restored, including the flags, flash, wheels, key numbers. When we put the register back together, any pieces that are missing or broken are replaced. Broken or missing pieces may include the marble, glass, end caps, and top sign. Yes, if your register is missing the top sign (which it most likely is), the top sign is included in the price of the restoration. Below are some examples of before and after restorations of registers that we have had in our shop.

Price of Restoration

Vintage National Cash Register Keys

The price of a complete restoration depends on how many pieces are broken or missing on your cash register. Missing pieces are replaced with our parts, or parts gleaned from other registers, which may raise the price of restoration. The price of restoration always includes the price of one of our top signs, unless, of course, your register has the original sign. If you have any questions on what the cost of restoration is, please e-mail us at info@hbacgroup.com with a photograph of your register and we will be happy to give you an estimate on the cost of restoration.

Antique National Cash Register Ebay

When you send your register to our shop for restoration, once it arrives we will go over the register and try to give you a better price on the cost of restoration. The amount of time the restoration takes depends on the size of your register and the backlog of registers to restore in our shop at any given time. We do not require deposits for restoration, however, once the register is restored, payment is due. If payment is not arranged within thirty (30) days of the date the restoration is complete, there will be storage fees assessed.