Before the calculator, there was Pascalina. The machine will be auctioned, and organizers are hoping for a record.

Christie's has a real treat for all those who love numbers. A copy of the first-ever calculating machine, invented by Blaise Pascal in 1642, could soon be yours. And it will come in handy for counting cash, as auction organizers expect to fetch millions.

The school year has begun, so students once again have to grapple with the queen of sciences, mathematics . Today, however, it's quite easy. Calculators are a fairly common device, and everyone has their own personal one on their smartphone .

Chat GPT will probably also help you solve more complicated equations, but remember not to believe everything it says…

Calculators are a common device these days, and everyone has their own personal one on their smartphone. Photo: Behnam Norouzi / Unsplash

Things might not have been so easy in 1642. Fortunately, Blaise Pascal developed a clever invention, the Pascaline , and now you can own a copy of this innovative device.

As we read in a statement from Christie’s , which will soon be auctioning the machine, the Pascalina is the most important scientific instrument ever put up for auction.

"This work was considered a novelty because it reduced a wholly mental science to a machine and found a way to perform all its operations with complete certainty, without the need for reasoning," wrote Gilberte Périer , Pascal's sister, in 1712.

Blaise Pascal developed his invention when he was 19. He wanted to help his father , Etienne , who was then president of the Cour des Aides de Normandie , the French administrative court that dealt with tax and financial matters in the Normandy region.

Pascalina, the first calculating machine. Photo: Press materials / Christie's

Young Blaise designed three types of calculating machines: for decimal calculations , for accounting , and for surveying purposes .

According to Christie’s announcement, there are only nine original Pascalina models, kept in museums such as the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris .

The example that will be auctioned at Christie's in Paris on November 19th is the only known model designed for geodetic calculations. What's more, it's still in working order!

It's no surprise, then, that before the Pascalina becomes the property of its new owner, it will travel almost all over the world for others to see. It will be exhibited at Christie's offices in Paris , New York , and Hong Kong .

Auction organizers estimate that Pascalina could be worth up to three million euros. Photo: Press materials / Christie's

Another device would be useful for calculating the money needed to purchase Pascalina . Auction organizers estimate that the invention could be worth up to three million euros!