IBM Card Gauge
YEAR: 1960
ITEM: Peripheral Device
COMPANY: IBM
COUNTRY: USA
IN OUR COLLECTION: Yes
We are guessing as to the date for this card gauge. It might be anywhere from the 1950's to the 1990's. The "Centre for Computing History" in the UK sets the date at 1960.1
This card gauge was made by IBM and was used to check the accuracy of the card punching machinery used by those who stored their information on IBM cards (and that would be just about everybody!!). While many people today are not familiar with IBM cards...they were the go to storage medium for most of the world in the mid-20th century.
For more information on the history of the IBM card, click here to see our pages on Herman Hollerith and the 1890 census.
The reverse side of the card gauge has a sticker with instructions on how it should be used. The instruction label on this gauge is especially well preserved. The gauge is made of heavy gauge aluminum and measures 3 15/16" by 8 3/16".
1Centre for Computing History
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Documents
Documents for this item have not yet been scanned or not yet posted. There are a lot of pages...contact us if you have an immediate need. (Although there are not a lot of "immediate needs" for a 70+ year old computer!)
If you know the location of any other of these items, please let us know by contacting us at Director@TheComputerChurch.com .
OUR DEFINITIONS OF RARITY
One of a Kind: Only known existing item.
Exceedingly Rare: Only 2 to 10 known to exist.
Very Rare: Only 11 to 25 are known to exist.
Rare: Only 26 to 50 are known to exist.
Difficult: Difficult to find.
Available:Can be commonly be purchased.
Unknown: We cannot make a determination.
(For comparison: Many people consider the Apple-1 computer to be rare. As of 2025 there are 92 confirmed and probable Apple-1 computers.)
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