James Ritty (1836-1918) of Dayton, Ohio invented the first mechanical cash register in 1879. Buttons arranged along the bottom of the dial cash register, shown here, recorded the amount of a sale. It measures 22" x 14" x 20" (55.88 cm x 35.56 cm x 50.8 cm). Within months of his invention of the dial cash register, Ritty introduced an improved register, called the "incorruptible cashier." This cash register measures 17.25" x 14" x 26.5" (43.81 cm x 35.56 cm x 67.31 cm). The machine includes pop-up tabs to indicate the amount of the sale and a bell rang when the transaction was made. It did not have a cash drawer. These items are part of an extensive collection of materials in the NCR Archive, housed at the Montgomery County Historical Society.

James and John Ritty of Dayton, Ohio patented the first mechanical cash register in 1879. James Ritty owned the Pony House Restaurant in Dayton, and invented the cash register to prevent bartenders from stealing his profits. The brothers started the National Manufacturing Company in 1883 to market the invention, but sold their patent rights to John Patterson for $6,500 in 1884. Patterson founded the National Cash Register Company, which became the world's leading manufacturer of cash registers.