Here’s my small but worthy collection of five typewriters. In truth there are only four, as the Imperial 220 is a birthday gift for my daughter, which will be delivered to her soon (she knows already!).
- Imperial Good Companion 5 – a really beautiful typer, already much used and loved. Made in the Leicester factory, England, in 1959, and apparently quite rare in red.
2. Imperial 220 – a more modern Imperial, from the 1970s. Manufactured for Imperial by Silver Seiko in Japan. It’s a wonderful, fast, sleek, typer, and my daughter will surely love it.
3. The grandaddy of my collection, the 1935 Remington Noiseless Portable. It’s in need of a little tlc, but is fully functional. The escapement occasionally jumps, certainly more times per page than I am happy with. That aside, it’s a beautiful machine, and a joy to use.
4. Olympus SM3 – my first acquisition, which has just returned from Tom Lucas, The Typewriter Man, where it received new rubber for the platen, and a thorough clean. It has a lovely Elite 12 typeface, and types like a dream.
5. Adler Tippa – the most portable of my typewriters, and overall is a very good typer, again with a nice Elite 12 typeface. I’m looking forward to taking this one out with me sometimes.
So, five will soon become four, but I really feel that will be the limit for quite a while, as I want to get to know each one well, rather than just occasionally or never. I want to concentrate on writing, as opposed to collecting. Each of these typewriters will be well used.
You can read more about my Good Companion 5 HERE
…and the Imperial 220 HERE
The others will get a page devoted to them in due course.
Who can resist a typer in a red dress? That’s a beautiful machine, as is your collection. It never occurred to me that Olympias rarely show up in black until now.
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Thanks. The red and the black – just like ribbons 🙂 Good typewriter colours.
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I’m in love with your SM3—I didn’t know that they ever came in that classy black! Love the eighth fraction symbols, too. Finally, it’s got the cool four-dot margin release key, unlike my SM3 which has a boring “M. R.” (because I MisRemembered the margin, no doubt).
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Haha, yes, I love that 4-dot margin release. It’s like a roll of a dice. And the colour is uber cool. Very happy with it. Cheers.
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I have always wanted an Olympia SM3, though I have never seen one in black. I think the it makes it look classy!
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That’s the word! Very classy. Just like me – not!
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Inspiring collection there Rob. I really like both of the Imperials. Actually, they are all very beautiful.
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Thanks, Susan. Imperial were a fine company, even when latterly they outsourced to Japan.
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Its good that you know when to stop, Rob, but I can’t help thinking you’re missing an Olivetti to round the collection off. 😉
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Ha, thanks, Steve. It was either a Lettera or the Tippa, and although there are lots of Letteras on eBay in the UK, there was something about the Tippa that pulled me in. It’s small, and strongly built, with a good typeface, heavier than the Olivetti, but still light enough to carry in my backpack. So don’t tempt me! 🙂
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