National Cash Register

 By Bruce Shawkey

I had a buddy, Don Kershner, who worked for National Cash Register (NCR). He sold customized receipts and waitress order pads to bars and restaurants. He eventually was forced into retirement when electronics came into being and cash registers basically became obsolete. He hung out a lot at the old Avenue Bar on East Washington Ave. The Avenue was one of Don's customers, and we met there many times for lunch and trading. He was a watch collector and I bought, traded, and sold many watches with him.

NCR made many types of specialized equipment for different industries, but one I found most interesting was this one made for United Airlines for printing passenger tickets. 

I mean, look at the thing! It must have over 100 keys. I'll bet it took an operator over a week to learn how to operate the darn thing.

This ad is from the 1950s and was probably the last of mechanical ticketing machines before the computer age. But even in the '60s ticket agents were still writing tickets by hand.

My buddy, Don Kershner, passed in 2024, at age 95. He was a stand-up fellow. I always appreciated his honesty and integrity.

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