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IBM Port-a-Punch Card Punch

National Museum of American History
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Object Details

IBM
Description
From 1958, IBM Corporation sold portable, stylus-operated card punches like this one to prepare the cards used in data processing equipment.
The tan instrument consists of a plastic frame that holds 13 long plastic rectangles along its length. A transparent plastic template which has an array of evenly spaced holes fits over the rectangles, and cards are placed over this. A plastic stylus with a metal point punches holes. The object and a card with instructions fit in a cardboard box. A mark on the punch reads: IBM PORT-A-PUNCH. A mark on the end of the box reads: International Business Machines Corporation [/] Part No. 456861.
Card 1990.0113.04 (an IBM D10687 punch card) was designed for use with this card punch.
The materials in this accession were used to reduce data accumulated in Robert A. McConnell’s research on parapsychology.
References:
Accession file.
Web site of the IBM Archives, accessed October 16, 2012.
Location
Currently not on view
Credit Line
Gift of Robert A. McConnell
1960s
ID Number
1990.0113.02
catalog number
1990.0113.02
accession number
1990.0113
Object Name
tabulating equipment
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
plastic (overall material)
metal (overall material)
Measurements
overall: 1.6 cm x 23 cm x 12.3 cm; 5/8 in x 9 1/16 in x 4 27/32 in
See more items in
Medicine and Science: Mathematics
Tabulating Equipment
Science & Mathematics
National Museum of American History
subject
Psychology
Mathematics
Record ID
nmah_904247
Metadata Usage (text)
CC0
GUID (Link to Original Record)
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/ng49ca746a7-6ebd-704b-e053-15f76fa0b4fa

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IBM Port-a-Punch, a Portable Card Punch
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IIIF provides researchers rich metadata and media viewing options for comparison of works across cultural heritage collections. Visit the IIIF page to learn more.
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