Wed Nov 19 09:23:15 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text and a rewritten news article:
Summary:
Christie’s has suspended the Paris auction of a rare Pascaline, the first mechanical calculator invented by Blaise Pascal, due to a court suspension of its export authorization. The auction, expected to fetch over 2 million euros, was halted at the owner’s request.
News Article:
Pascaline Auction Halted After Export Authorization Suspended
Paris – The highly anticipated auction of a rare Pascaline, the world’s first mechanical calculating machine invented by Blaise Pascal, has been suspended by Christie’s. The auction, slated for Wednesday at the Bibliotheque Leon Parce in Paris, was expected to fetch upwards of 2 million euros.
Christie’s announced the halt, stating it was acting on the instructions of the machine’s owner. The decision followed a ruling by the Paris administrative court, which suspended the export authorization for the historical artifact.
The Pascaline, described by Christie’s as “the most important scientific instrument ever offered at auction,” was created by Pascal in 1642 at the young age of 19. This particular example is a box decorated with ebony.
The auction’s suspension remains in effect pending a final decision from the court. The future of this historically significant piece remains uncertain.
First Piper 