Jan and John Maggs Antiques

The Perpetual Calendar

Last September, at the Newport Historical Society Antiques Show, Jeff Gladding, whose booth faced ours, was offering this early 19th century Perpetual Calendar. Jeff explained the workings of this seven-sided wooden calendar. He pointed out that disk at the base should be aligned with the first day of March, (thereby avoiding the need to adjust for leap year), according to a 200 year program printed on the base. The program covers each year from the beginning of the 19th century well into the 21st.

Jeff told us that he had recently explained the workings of the calendar to a pre-teenage girl. Although she readily grasped the concept, she appeared puzzled.

After a few moments, she asked Jeff, "OK, but where do you write your stuff?"

To purchase this fascinating piece (if it's still available), e-mail Jeff at jgladding@aol.com .

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