Christie's Halts Sale of Blaise Pascal's 1642 Calculating Machine After Court Blocks Export

A Rare Scientific Masterpiece Pulled From Auction

Christie's has suspended the highly anticipated Paris auction of one of the world's earliest calculating machines – a 1642 invention by French mathematician and polymath Blaise Pascal. Known as "La Pascaline", the device is one of only nine surviving examples and is the only one still in private hands. It had been expected to fetch between 2 and 3 million euros through the prestigious auction house Christie's.

The sale was halted after a Paris court, approached urgently by scientists and researchers, suspended the export authorisation – preventing the piece from leaving France.

Why Pascal Invented It - A 19-Year-Old Pioneer Solving Real Problems

Pascal was just 19 years old when he designed the machine to help his father, who oversaw tax revenue collections in northern France. Christie's noted that Pascal developed the device to "mechanise mental calculation" for the first time in history, a breakthrough that laid the foundation for modern computing and engineering instruments.

This early calculating machine could perform additions and subtractions automatically – an extraordinary leap forward for 17th-century mathematics and bureaucracy.

Scholars Demand National Treasure Status

Academics and historians are urging the French state to designate the machine as a "national treasure", which would keep it within the country's cultural patrimony.

The debate intensified when the French culture ministry earlier stated that an export certificate had already been issued, based on assessments by two experts – one from the National Centre of Arts and Crafts (CNAM) and one from the Louvre.

However, the court's emergency intervention overturned the certificate, preventing potential international buyers from exporting the piece.

Part of Late Collector Léon Parce's Library

The Pascaline was to be auctioned as part of the extensive library collection of Léon Parce, a prominent French collector. Following the court's ruling, Christie's confirmed that it halted the sale at the client's request, placing the fate of this rare scientific artefact in limbo.

What Happens Next

With export rights suspended and national treasure status under consideration, the Pascaline now sits at the centre of a cultural, academic and legal tug-of-war. If officially declared a national treasure, France would have the option to acquire it for public institutions, ensuring the piece remains accessible to researchers and the public.

For now, the world waits to see whether one of the earliest milestones in computing history will enter a museum or return to private hands.