Pretty Red Beads Vintage Counting Frame Russian Street Market Soviet Wood Abacus

Description

You are buying a vintage counting frame with pretty red beads. This frame is made of wood and measures approx. 9.4" x 6.3" x 1.2" (24 x 16 x 3 cm). There are Soviet markings on the inner side of the frame. Not sure how old it is, but at least 40 years and probably more. Still in good condition and will be a nice addition to your collection or decoration.
The counting frame is used vertically, with wires from left to right in the manner of a book. The wires are bowed to bulge upward in the center, in order to keep the beads pinned to either of the two sides. It is cleared when all the beads are moved to the right. During manipulation, beads are moved to the left. For easy viewing, the middle 2 beads on each wire (the 5th and 6th bead) are of a different color than the other eight beads. Likewise, the left bead of the thousands wire has a different color. The Russian abacus was in use in all shops and markets, used by merchants, traders and clerks throughout the Soviet Union. It is called "счеты" (schoty) in Russian, or "рахівниця" (rakhivnytsia) in Ukrainian.
Please see the photos and let me know if you have any questions. Thank you.