Odometer by J. D. Roberts
National Postal Museum

Odometer by J. D. Roberts

c. 1900

metal; glass; paint; leather
National Postal Museum
CC0 — Public Domain
National Postal Museum

The odometer produced by J. D. Robert of Oakmont, Pennsylvania, measures distance traveled. Three concentric circles are marked in regular increments, but the unit of measurement is not specified. Three color-coded hands point to marks on the dial: the red hand corresponds to outer circled divided into single digit increments from 0 to 100, the yellow hand corresponds to the middle circle divided into increments of 100 from 500 to 4500, and the blue dial corresponds to the inner circled divided into increments of 4000 from 20,000 to 180,000. Two wing-nuts help fasten the device to a vehicle, and a piece of leather cushions the odometer. A star-shaped knob turns the hands of the dial and rests the device.

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