The National Cash Register Corporation

If you’ve ever watched old movies or westerns, you would usually see a big brass cash register in the general store. Remember the scene in “It’s a Wonderful Life” where George Bailey goes back to the bar, and after he and Clarence, the guardian angel, are kicked out, the bartender keeps making the cash drawer open and make the familiar “ding” saying that he was giving out angel wings every time the bell rang. Perhaps when you were little you had a little toy cash register that would ring when the cash drawer opened.

There were many cash registers produced but the National Cash Register Company was most prolific. I used to live in Dayton, Ohio where NCR began. It has now emigrated to Georgia like myself!

In 1884, John Patterson bought out the shareholders of the National Manufacturing Company and started to produce cash registers. They only sold 16,000 the first decade but by 1910 were producing 110,00 machines a year! Patterson created a commission based sales force that went business to business to convince shop owners that cash registers were safer and increased sales. These things were super heavy so it was very hard to run off with one!  

Patterson was also ahead of his time in providing clean and bright working conditions for his employees. He pumped in fresh air, provided chairs with backs instead of stools, provided free coffee and lunch for the workers and even employed an on site doctor for any needs the employees may have.

There was a terrible flood in Dayton in 1913, and NCR helped rescue people and contributed large sums of money to help the victims as well as funding to make sure a flood like that could never happen again. The company was so successful that they were convicted of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act because they had gobbled up so many smaller companies that they had a monopoly on cash register production.  

I really hated to see the company leave Dayton; they had such a rich history there, and John Patterson and his descendents that ran the company contributed thousands and millions of dollars to create parks and other community benefits to the city as well as starting the first kindergarten in the area.

NCR was able to survive because they were able to adapt to the world around them. They converted the factories during WWI and WWII to produce plane engines and shell fuses as well as other items. The company switched to computers in the 50s and 60s and changed the name from National Cash Register to NCR in 1974. AT&T briefly owned the company for a few years in the 1990s. The company headquarters is now in Duluth, Georgia.  

Antique cash registers are still very sought after and bring hefty prices, the most desirable being the smaller “candy store” versions that were about half the size of the regular behemoth. If you would like to see an old National Cash Register, you can take a look at the lovely display in the old service station that was recently restored in Legacy Park right here in Perry! Happy Collecting!

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