5.9 Hemmi, Japan
Hemmi Bamboo Slide Rule Company (also known as Sun Hemmi), Japan, was founded in 1894 and made roughly 15 million slide rules which were sold around the world, most notably by the Fredrick Post Co. in the U.S., by Hughes-Owens in Canada and by Tamaya & Company of Tokyo until 1975. The lists below show rules in the collection that were sold as “Hemmi”, sold as “Post” and sold as other brands.
Frederick Post could not sell Japanese rules during World War II, so for that period they obtained rules from other companies in the US. The collection has a large number of Post slide rules, mostly made by Hemmi, all of which can be found in the special section Post, USA.
Total number of Hemmi Bamboo Slide Rule Company slide rules in the collection: 33.
5.9.1 Exclusively Sun Hemmi

Hemmi 80/3 Electro.

Hemmi 257 Chemical (front)

Hemmi 257 Chemical (back)

Hemmi 153
Model | Year | Serial | Typ | Mat | L0 | Case | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
153 | 1931-1934 | L | bb | 10 | yes | Electrical Engineers Universal Duplex; vector rule; serif type, very early rule, in very nice condition | ||
50/1 |
|
1935 | L | bb | 10 | no | nice condition | |
80/3 |
|
1935 | L | bb | 10 | box | Electro; tables on back and text on box in French | |
153 |
|
1938 | L | bb | 10 | yes | Electrical Engineers Universal Duplex; vector rule; sans serif type; owner – Aurthur Stegelman worked for Halliburton; from his granddaughter; U.Oklahoma on case | |
255 | 1952 | CB | L | bb | 10 | no | Vector rule; for Expert Electrical Engineer | |
153 | 1955 | FE | L | bb | 10 | box | Electrical Engineers Universal Duplex; vector rule; sans serif type; nice condition but cracked cursor | |
257 | 1956 | GD | L | bb | 10 | yes | Chemical Engineering; owner Frank Banks of CA | |
30 | 1964 | OE | L | bb | 4 | yes | Hemmi on light brown leather case |
5.9.2 Made for Frederick Post Co., USA

Post 1460 Versalog.

Versalog (side)
Model | Year | Serial | Typ | Mat | L0 | Case | Note | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
153 | 1936-1940 | L | wd | 10 | yes | Post 1461 Electronic Engineering rule; elliptical Post logo (only Post with that logo); serif font; 1923 patent; owner Louis E. Herrington, Colorado | ||
32 | 1936-43 | L | bb | 4 | yes + box | Post 1441; references to Japan scratched out | ||
40 |
|
1940 | L | bb | 10 | box | Post 1446; newer cursor | |
32 | 1947-49 | L | bb | 4 | yes + box | Post 1441; Made in Occupied Japan on inside of leather case and side of cursor | ||
159 | 1949-51 | L | bb | 10 | yes + box | Post 1462H; POSTRIG; nice condition but cracked cursor; replaced by Versalog | ||
258 | 1951 | BF | L | bb | 10 | box | Post 1460; original 1460 box; first year for Versalog; no 258 on stock; 1951 1st edition Versalog book | |
258 | 1952 | CL | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460; case minus flap; Bruce G. Shaw | |
258 | 1953 | DC | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460; leather stitched case; D.P. Hoose | |
40RK | 1954 | EA | L | bb | 10 | box | Post 1447 | |
258 | 1957 | HE | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460; case in nice condition; serial 821829 | |
32 | 1957 | HJ | L | bb | 4 | yes | Post 1441 | |
258 | 1958 | IL | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460; case in very nice condition; owner Joseph A. Haertle, General Motors,co-author Computer Modeling in New Vehicle Design, Raymond G. Fischer and Joseph A. Haertle, SAE Transactions, Vol. 93, Section 4: 840772––841109 (1984), pp. 235-240. | |
50W | 1959 | JB | L | bb | 10 | box | Post 1452W; Universal; nice condition; Feb 1959 | |
S40RK | 1962 | MK | L | bb | 10 | box | Post 1447S | |
258 | 1963 | NJ | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460; black case | |
Pocket Versalog | 1965 | PG | L | bb | 5 | yes + box | Post 1461; variant 1b (cos in green); leather case, original box, fact sheet | |
40RK | 1966 | QJ | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1447; plastic case; instructions | |
258 | 1967 | RD | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460; leather stitched case; K. Stegelman – from daughter | |
45K | 1968 | SG | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1445, with 3-ring binder sleeve | |
Pocket Versalog | 1968 | SB | L | bb | 5 | yes | Post 1461; variant 1b (cos in green); brown leather case | |
258 | 1969 | TD | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460 Versalog II, green COS, plastic Post case | |
258 | 1971 | VF | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460 Versalog II, green COS, leather case with clip; came with Versalog II Slide Rule Instructions book | |
258 | 1972 | WF | L | bb | 10 | yes | Post 1460 Teledyne 44CA-600 Versalog II, green COS, never used (came in original plastic) |