National Cash Register Model 313 Nickel-Plated Candy Store Register, c. 1908

The register collector's community has a name for the fully-dressed small-counter Nationals: candy store models. The designation covers a specific configuration — compact 300-series body, marble change shelf, gilt topsign, full-relief casework — built for the tobacconist, the confectioner, the soda fountain operator who wanted every inch of his counter to signal quality. This Model 313, serial 928616, is exactly that machine: nickel-plated cast iron over an oak base, every panel worked in high-relief scrollwork, laurel wreaths, and fleur-de-lis cartouches, the whole assembly crowned by a gilt "Amount Purchased" topsign on cast dolphin-scroll mounts with a beveled-glass display gallery below. The fifteen-key bank runs 5¢ through $1 — the right spread for penny candy and nickel sodas — with dedicated No Sale and total keys. The marble change shelf is retained by a beaded rail and anchored by two brass rosette escutcheons. The cash drawer front is cast with the National shield. The maker's plaque reads The National Cash Register Co. Dayton Ohio USA.

Inside, the divided oak till retains its original coin compartments and a wire-mounted counterweight — the mechanical index that tells the machine how much was in the drawer. The pop-up amount indicator still throws, and the mechanism advances the topsign display on keypress; the whole movement cycles as designed. Two key caps at the lower right have lost their number inserts — a common casualty on worked registers — but every functional key is present. The machine comes with one original key. For NCR collectors, the serial range places manufacture at approximately 1908, deep in the golden age of National's ornamental castings before the company rationalized its styling in the 1910s. The rear interior panels retain traces of the original cobalt-blue paint that National used to finish the inside faces of its decorative casework — a detail easy to miss and satisfying to find.

National Cash Register Co., founded by John H. Patterson in Dayton, Ohio in 1884, controlled roughly 95% of the American cash register market by 1900 — a dominance built partly on aggressive salesmanship and partly on the quality of the machines themselves. Patterson's insight was that a register wasn't just an accounting tool; it was a statement of business legitimacy visible to every customer at the point of sale. The ornate nickel-and-gilt casework of the 300-series small registers was a deliberate choice: a candy shop owner who bought a National was telling his customers he ran a serious establishment. The 313 specifically was configured for single-clerk, low-denomination retail — the confectionery counter, the tobacco stand, the druggist's soda fountain. By the time NCR rationalized its styling in the mid-1910s, the fully-dressed ornamental registers like this one were already giving way to plainer commercial units. The window for machines built and finished to this standard was roughly 1900–1912.

CONDITION

Good with age-appropriate wear throughout. The nickel plating shows dulling, minor spotting, and scattered loss consistent with a century of handling; the rear interior panels retain original cobalt-blue paint beneath later grime. Two key caps at the lower right have lost their printed number inserts. The display glass has minor imperfections, and the marble change shelf carries light staining and a visible hairline crack near the front right corner, along with one small chip at the edge. The oak base and till interior show honest use wear. Mechanism cycles and the amount indicator throws; tested and working. One key included.

DIMENSIONS / SPECIFICATIONS

• Overall: 21" H × 10" W × 16" D (staff-measured)
• Weight: 75 lbs
• Model: 313
• Serial No.: 928616
• Maker: The National Cash Register Co., Dayton, Ohio, USA
• Materials: Cast iron with nickel plating, marble, brass hardware, beveled glass, oak base and till
• Key Bank: 15 keys — 5¢, 15¢, 20¢, 25¢, 30¢, 35¢, 40¢, 50¢, 60¢, 70¢, 80¢, 90¢, $1, No Sale, Total
• Topsign: Gilt cast "Amount Purchased" with dolphin-scroll mounts
• Included: One key; divided oak till with wire-mounted counterweight
• Approximate manufacture date: c. 1908 (by serial range)