Christie’s will auction a Pascaline, the first calculating machine in history, developed by Blaise Pascal in 1642, at a sale in Paris on November 19. The estimate for the box decorated with ebony sticks is €2 million to €3 million. This particular model, dedicated to survey calculations, is the only one in private hands among nine surviving originals, and it remains fully functional. The auction also includes 15 volumes of Pascal’s writings, including a first copy of *Pensées* (estimate €200,000–€300,000), and works by Descartes, Newton, and others.
The sale matters because the Pascaline is a landmark invention in the history of computing and mathematics, and this example is exceptionally rare—the sole privately owned model. Its appearance at auction offers collectors and institutions a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire a piece of scientific heritage. The high estimate and global exhibition tour (Paris, New York, Hong Kong) underscore the object’s significance and the growing market for historical scientific instruments.