ITEM DESCRIPTION

Original vintage laminated ElectroData / Burroughs Corporation Datatron 205 command reference card, printed for the ElectroData Division of Burroughs Corporation at 460 Sierra Madre Villa, Pasadena, California. This small pocket-size card lists Datatron 205 commands in operation-code order, including PTR Read, CIRA Circulate A, STC Store clear, PTW Write, CNZ Change on non-zero, STOP, DAD Digit add, BA B to A, ST Store, SR Shift right, SL Shift left, NOR Normalize, arithmetic operations, tape and card commands, floating-point operations, and other machine instructions. The lower portion reads “Electronic Data Processing Systems For Science, Industry, and Business,” with code EDC 3000A and “Printed in U.S.A.”

This is a particularly interesting piece of early computer history. The Datatron 205 was a mid-1950s vacuum-tube, magnetic-drum computer associated with ElectroData of Pasadena, later sold under Burroughs after Burroughs acquired ElectroData in 1956. The card reflects the transitional Burroughs / ElectroData branding and belongs to the era when electronic data processing was moving from scientific and military calculation into business, industrial, engineering, banking, and institutional use. Unlike a general advertisement or magazine clipping, this is a practical operator/programmer reference item connected directly to the command set of an early mainframe computer system.

The card is laminated, with rounded corners, age toning, surface wear, creasing, wrinkling, and visible diagonal fold/crease lines running through the printed card. There are scattered small marks, light discoloration, laminate scuffing, and general handling wear from age and use. The printed text remains largely clear and legible on both sides. It will be mailed in the archival sleeve and rigid top-loader case.

Make sure to see the photos above for complete details.

Measures approximately 3 3/4 inches tall by 2 1/4 inches wide.

KEYWORDS

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1956 ELECTRODATA DATATRON 205 COMMAND CARD BURROUGHS PASADENA MAINFRAME

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