christies paris suspends sale pascaline calculating machine 1234762433

Christie’s Paris suspended the sale of a rare Pascaline calculating machine, one of only nine surviving examples built by 17th-century French mathematician Blaise Pascal, after a court-ordered export ban prevented it from leaving France. The device, expected to fetch between $2.3 million and $3.5 million, was part of an auction of the collection of late manuscript collector Léon Parcé. French scientists and researchers argued the calculator is a national treasure, prompting the ban despite an export certificate issued in May.