WELCOME TO THE TYPEWRITER MUSEUM. All of the typewriters on this page are owned by me, but are only on public display virtually through this Web site. The typewriter collection contains over 125 typewrites from 23 manufacturers spanning the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, from at least ten countries (United States, Japan, China, East Germany, West Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, England and the Nethelands). The museum contains at least one typewriter from each decade since the 1880s. Several of the typewriters and Mr. Martin were on the History Channel television show Modern Marvels episode called "Retro Tech" which originally aired on December 19, 2008. Typewriters were quite expensive when new, sometimes exceeding the equivalent cost of a laptop computer today. They are also very finely crafted and cool machines. While many are quite old, a lot of typewriters were sold and they were made to last. Therefore, old typewriters are still quite plentiful and hence most of them not very expensive. Most of my typewriters were acquired for under $20 each. I obtain most of them at local garage or estate sales and a couple from thrift stores or eBay. Some of the earlier and more unusual typewriters are valuable, however. Looking on eBay and reading books also reveals that some rare typewriters can sell for thousands of dollars.

Read on if you wish to read about my experience with computers making typewriters largely obsolete or go directly to viewing the specific typewriters. The typewriters are arranged alphbetically by brand. Within a brand, they are arranged by date. Scroll to browse or click on a specific brand.

Introduction - From Typewriters to Computers

Typewriters are one of the longest lasting technologies in modern time. The basic front stroke typebar typewriter with the QWERTY keyboard was in place by the 1890s. (See A Brief History of Typewriters.) A typebar is the slender bar with the letter on the end. Front stroke meant you could see what was being typed as you typed. QWERTY are the first 6 leters on a standard keyboard. The key pattern was designed for relative speed, but also to prevent keys from jamming. Bars with frequently used letter pairs are widely separated to prevent jams. This design continued by all major manufacturers until 1961 when the IBM Selectric introduced a typewriter with a rotating typing element that looked like a golf ball with all of the letters and symbols on it. It was somewhat similar to designs in the 1800s which had a single typing element. Some other manufacturers began to use similar elements. Finally, typewriters began to use daisy wheel elements which were a flat wheel with the letters radiating out from the center like the petals on a flower. Typebar typewriters were still made up until at least the 1980s for electric typewriters, however, and are still made today for manual typewriters. A manual typewriter made today works in basically the same way as a manual typewriter did over 100 years ago! People also still use typewriters today especially to fill in pre-printed forms or to type a quick envelope or label. Finally, the QWERTY keyboard is used even on computers today - not because it is the most efficient pattern, but because it is the pattern everyone knows. Indeed, a secretary from 1900 magically appearing today could easily type on a computer today.

Despite their long history and use today, as well as being really cool machines, typewriters are largely obsolete today. The last time I used a typewriter to actually do something other than test an old machine was probably 20 years ago and then probably just to address an envelope. Looking at garage sales, my guess is many, if not most, households no longer own a typewriter. The reason, of course, is that the functions of a typewriter have been largely superceded by computers and printers. Word processing was one of the first big uses for the personal computer and remains so today. The reason is clear. You can change, move and delete things as much as you like. Not so with a typewriter!

People in their 20s, or even 30s, and younger today may not realize how significant the switch from typewriters to computer was. I remember in high school, college and law school, slowly typing papers - or more frequently, I remember my wonderful sister typing papers for me! An error meant using "White Out" or starting over. The IBM Correcting Selectric which lifted the error off the page was wonderful but much too expensive to buy. I remember using one at my dad's office and one while dog sitting. I remember my sister typing a paper for me that needed to be 5 pages. It was too short and she had to type the whole thing over using wider margins, as I recall starting at midnight. I took a typing class in summer school after ninth grade. It was my only C grade in high school. There was also only one other boy in the class. It was the early 1970s and most people who needed to type fast for a living were secretaries and most secretaries were women. I remember we had Olympia manual typewriters. See Inkygirl.com for the repsonses of other people to the question, "Did you ever use a manual typewriter?" See also "You love these machines. These machines are dead: a love story.", The Classic Typewriter Page Presents Typewriter Tributes, @mizzou - "What's High Tech?".

I never drafted documents directly on a typewriter. Rather, I would write them out in long hand and sometimes do a second or third draft. Only then did typing begin. When I was a law clerk and young lawyer, the shift was being made from typewriters to computers. I remember as a law clerk in Eugene, Oregon, the office had one new expensive dedicated word processing computer. It could only be used for long documents. Most typing was still on typewriters. One IBM Selectric typewriter had a "mag card" machine which stored the keystrokes in memory and could be used to reprint or revise a document, but without any screen. Secretaries did all of the typing, whether on a typewriter or word processor. Attorneys and law clerks usually dictated the documents using either a hand-held or desktop recorder which the secretaries would then listen to and type out. You wanted to avoid the need for revisions if the secretary used a typewriter! Even when personal computers became commonplace in law offices, usually only the secretaries would type documents. I used a dictating machine through much of my legal career. Dictating is a skill in itself and difficult at first for a young law clerk. With time, however, it becomes much easier to "write by talking." Indeed, I think dictation helped me to think and talk on my feet and become a much better oral communicator.

While in an LL.M. program in Energy Law I wrote a 265 page thesis. The initial draft was hand written which I then paid someone to type for me. For the final draft I rented a Kaypro 4 computer. My wife helped me type it. I inserted the end notes. The word processing program, Perfect Writer, came with the computer. It allowed a split screen with the main document on the top and the endnotes on the bottom - sort of an early version of "windows" on a computer. This allowed me to easily draft the extensive endnotes. It was that Kaypro in 1984 that made me truly appreciate computers. Typing the thesis on a typewriter error free would have taken forever!

It was several years later before computers were on the desks of both secretaries and attorneys at most law offices. At that time I began to draft documents directly on the computer. That is the true significance of the switch from typewriters to computers. Now one could write and revise at the same time. There is no longer necessarily a first draft, second draft, etc. Rather, one can continuously revise. The end result can be a much better document if one takes the time to carefully review and polish. To write in this way one also needs to know the basics of touch typing. Once you know the basics, speed comes with time. The goal is to be able to think about your writing. The typing becomes automatic.

While computers are a powerful tool for writers, that tool can also lead to poor, sloppy, careless writing. I see this sometimes in students' writing. While teachers have always stressed, "don't copy and use your own words," computers make it easy to copy. For example, a common way for students to do a research paper is to copy and paste from the Internet (often without reading) and then just change words. There is little understanding and little original thought or synthesis. Computers can also encourage sloppy, careless writing. This is often observed in e-mail where one jots down ideas often without reflection. We become impatient using short hand words instead of standard English. For example, when I became a teacher I was surprised to learn that many students think "cause" is a substitute for "because."

One of the goals of the Typewriter Museum is for visitors to appreciate the significance of the switch from typewriters to computers. Computers are a powerful writing tool leading to clear and concise writing when used with care, precision and reflection. As an educator, I believe it is important that we explicitly teach students how to effectively write using a computer.

Adler

Blickensderfer

A partially torn label inside the case identifies Geo. C. Bornemann & [Co.] as the Pacific Coast General Agent for Blickensderfer with a picture of a Blickensderfer No. 5 on the left side with the price of $40. My guess is that a picture of the Blickensderfer No. 7 with the its price of $50 was on the right side. An address of 117 Sutter St., San Francisco is given. Page 25 of the February 1903 "Pacific States Telephone and Telegraph Company" directory for San Francisco has a listing for "James 141. Bornemann, Geo. C. & Co., Agts. Blickensderfer Typewriter, 117 Sutter." (http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/1903t/t3t025.htm.) There is also an 1898 listing at a different San Francisco address: "Clay 996. Bornemann, Geo. C. & Co., Pac. Coast Gen'l Agts. Blickersderfer Typewriter, 19 Monty." (http://www.sfgenealogy.com/sf/1898t/t98t012.htm.) The referenced San Francisco History and Genealogy site also has a long ad by Geo. C. Bornemann & Co. in the May 1906 New San Francisco Magazine listing a third address. The ad states:

The ad was the month after the great San Francisco earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906. See generally U.S. Geological Survey - The Great 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Geo. C. Bornemann & Co. moved from the Sutter Street address by May 1906, perhaps being displaced by the earthquake and fire. Indeed, in the May 1906 New San Francisco Magazine ad page many of the businesses refer to temporary addresses and there are at least two ads selling photographs of the city in ruins after the earthquake and fire. At the garage sale where I purchased the typewriter was a panoramic photograph of San Francisco after the earthquake and fire, perhaps indicating that the photo, typewriter and other items at the garage sale were from San Francisco during that period. The sellers appeared to be collectors of vintage Asian art and books. Then again, perhaps I am just watching The History Detectives too often after The Antique Roadshow on PBS on Monday nights! What is clear is that my Blickensderfer No. 7 is a wonderful piece of history and a great complement to my Blickensderfer No. 5.

Brother

Caligraph

I believe mine is Model 2 and from probably the 1880s. Mine is serial no. 14603 which seems relatively low. The Models 2, 3 and 4 were apparently similar. According to Early Typewriter Collectors, the Model 3 and 4 had 78 keys, however, while the Model 2 had only 72 keys (6 rows of 12 keys) like mine. There apparently are not records equating the serial numbers of Caligraphs with manufacturing dates. The earliest Model 2 Caligraphs had polygonal prism platens instead of cylindrical platens. In other words, the platen had many flat faces instead of a single round face. At the time they had not yet made the typeface surface slightly curved so that the entire typeface surface would strike a round platen with equal pressure. They achieved the same result at first, however, by making the platen composed of many flat faces. Mine has a cylindrical platen. Mine is clearly not a Model 1 since the Model No. 1 had only capitals and a total of 48 keys. The Models 2, 3 and 4 had upper and lower case on separate keys. The Model 1 was first produced in 1980, just a year or two before the model 2. The Models 2, 3 and 4 all sold much better than the No. 1. There were therefore many fewer No. 1 Caligraph typewriters sold and the Model 1 today is considered rare. (See All About Antique Typewriters.) This is reflected in the price. For example, in the same week I purchased my Caligraph, two "barn find" Caligraphs were sold. The No. 2 sold for $78.77 while the No. 1 sold for $2,656.80! The last Caligraph according to Antique Typewriters - The Martin Howard Collection is the New Century Caligraph 6 from 1899. Mine looks similar to the No. 2 Caligraphs at The Virtual Typewriter Museum and typewriter.be with a similar label on front, although my label is much more worn.

The Caligraph was developed by George Washington Newton Yost, a pioneer in early typewriters who promoted the original Remington, then started New American Writing Machine Co. making the Caligraph and later developed Yost typewriters with improved alignment. (Antique Typewriters - The Martin Howard Collection.) The Caligraph is relatively light for its size. It shares the cylindrical arrangement of typebars of other early typewriters like the Remington and the Smith Premier. Unique to the Caligraph is the very long front where your hands rest. It reminds me of modern laptop computers with a large area to rest your hands below the keyboard. Under this area are very long typebar levers which can be seen in this bottom view. The long levers allow for a light touch. Like other early typewriters the Caligraph is also an "upstrike" typewriter instead of a front strike typewriter. It is "blind" in that you cannot see what you type as you type it. You can easily lift up the platen to reveal the underside and what has been typed, however. The Caligraph does not have a QWERTY keyboard arrangement. Also, the lower case keys, colored white, are generally arranged in the center with the black, upper case keys on the left and right sides. This differs from the full keyboard of the Smith Premier which has lower case letters on the bottom and upper case letters on the top.

I purchased my Caligraph on June 8, 2009 on eBay for $202.51 with $66.30 shipping. That's the most I've ever spent on a typewriter, but it is also my oldest. Also, while not rare, it is historically interesting. It is in good condition. There is some surface rust. The label is heavily worn. Most keys strike fine. The carriage does not seem to move.

Canon

Corona

Gourland

Hammond

Hermes

The back of the typewriter states: "Hermes. Made in Switzerland by Paillard S.A., Yverdon. Distributed in the U.S.A. by Paillard Products Inc. 265 Madison Ave. New York 16, N.Y." The steel bottom of the typewriter is covered and serves as part of the case. The body of the typewriter is also steel (a magnet sticks to it). The cover that forms the top of the case is very lightweight and apparently Aluminum (a magnet does not stick to it). The case and typewriter have a crinkled grey paint. The base of the typewriter is approximately a square of 11.25 inches x 11.25 inches. The machine is about 2.5 inches high. It has a mass of about 3700 grams (a weight of about 8.25 lbs.). You can view it as a 1950s laptop. My medium sized laptop computer today is only slightly smaller at 13.3 inches x 9.1 inches x 1.5 inches and weighing in at 5.1 pounds. The Rocket has an advantage in that it has a built in printer. My laptop has an advantage in that besides being a great word processor, it is also a general purpose computer with thousands of times more power than the only commercial computer available in 1952, the 29,000 pound Univac! (See Univac I, Wikipedia.

My Hermes Rocket was delivered to me on January 21, 2011. It was a very generous donation from a couple in Nixa, Missouri. Thank you! The wife is a fellow collector with a variety of toys in a display at the Toy Museum in Branson, Missouri. The husband used the typewriter while in college in the 1960s. The typewriter is in very good condition. It types very well. It makes an excellent addition to my Typewriter Museum.

IBM

First, a brief history of the electric typewriter. Edison developed an electric stock ticker in 1870. In 1902 the Blickensderfer Electric typewriter was introduced. Like the Blickensderfer manual typewriters, it had single element. The next single element electric typewriter would be the IBM Selectric in 1961! The Blickensderfer Electric was ahead of its time. Few were sold and only three are known to exist today. (See The Virtual Typewriter Museum.)

Remington, based on the Sholes & Glidden design, manufactured the first successful manual typewriter with the original model being sold from 1874 to 1878. You can see a successor of that typewriter, the Model 10, in the Remington section of the museum. Remington also manufactured in 1925 the first electric typewriter sold in any significant numbers. It was basically a Remington Model 12, similar to my Model 10, with an electric motor attached. The motors were supplied by North East Electric. The entire initial run of 2500 was sold. However, as explained at Remington and the Electromatic, due to internal circumstances at Remington, Remington abandoned this electric typewriter. North East Electric developed and produced a similar machine on its own by 1929 forming the Electromatic Typewriter Company.

After passing through the hands of General Motors, International Business Machines, acquired the Electromatic Typewriter Company in 1933. IBM dates back to the turn of the century making "tabulating machines," became the mainframe computer giant of the 1950s through 1970s, set the standard for the personal computer in 1981 with its IBM PC using the disk operating system developed by Microsoft, and continues today as a leader in information processing. IBM also remained the predominant force in business class electric typewriters through the 1980s. It was also an early force in electronic word processing with its Display Writer System.

The original IBM Electromatic model was designated the 01. The basic design appeared to remain the same into the 1940s. In 1944 the 04 Executive Model with proportional spacing was introduced. In most typewriters all of the type faces are the same width. With proportional spacing the type for a letter like "i" is less wide than a letter like "w" giving the text a look closer to that from printed copy like in a book. The IBM Archives Typewriter Milestones gives an indication of the different models. My typewriter has serial number 0112 56365. According to The Typewriter Database serial numbers 47300 to 61599 were produced in 1941. Apparently you ignore the first four numbers. The information tag on mine does not have a model number imprinted on it. I think mine is still a model 01, however. It looks identical to the Model 01 at the IBM Archives. IBM has a list of typewriter prices. A 1946 standard black model was $250. That equals $2,767.10 in 2009 dollars. A black executive model in 1940 cost $450 which equals $6,937.52 in 2009 models. Electric typewriters were expensive! We tend to think that all businesses used electric typewriters. Heavy duty manual typewriters, for example the Olympia SG-1 below, however, were common in offices until at least the early 1960s. They avoided the added expense and maintenance of an electric typewriter. Due the expense of electric typewriters, the first portable electric typewriter, the Smith Corona Smith Corona Portable Electric 5TE, was not introduced until 1957.

My Electromatic was purchased for $50 from an ad on Craigslist on 9-13-09 in the Mount Helix area of La Mesa, CA. The seller was the son of the original owner. The original owner was a lawyer in Groton, South Dakota. The son indicated his father got the Electromatic because it had a variable impression scale that allowed up to 25 carbon copies. In an era before copy machines (the original Xerox machine did not come out until 1950) the ability to make several carbon copies was important. Indeed, as a lawyer myself in the 1980s and 1990s, it is hard for me to imagine how law offices functioned before copy machines! Groton, South Dakota remains a very small town with about 1,400 people today according to Wikipedia. I'm guessing there's a good chance this may have been the only electric typewriter in town in 1941.

The typewriter remains in remarkably good condition. It types very quickly, with hard, neat impressions. Type quality is excellent. It is not a quiet machine, however. It hits hard and the motor starts to sound like a DC-3 airplane of the same era taking off! Cosmetically you can see this machine was used for its intended purpose with paint wear where the hands would rest. The textured paint is also worn smooth in some places. The keys are relatively clean. There is a small crease or line on the spacebar. There is no rust. It is clean and seems to have been maintained well. In general, it is in great shape cosmetically for being nearly 70 years old. It is a fine, historically significant, addition to the museum.

In any event, IBM typewriters were expensive. IBM Typewriter Prices indicates a Model A in 1950 was $365 (same buying power as $3,249.21 in 2009), a Model C in 1962 was $460 (same buying power as $3,267.78 in 1990) and a Model D (see below) was $490 in 1967 (same buying power as $3,147.40 in 2009). You can get a decent computer and printer for $400 to $500 in 2009 or several of them for $3,000! That's, of course, just the equipment cost advantage today. While harder to calculate, the biggest cost savings is the increased productivity using a computer and printer for word processing compared to using a typewriter. Also, one hopes the ease of editing on a computer leads to better quality writing compared to using a typewriter.

I purchased my IBM Electric Typewriter in Delzura, California for $20 from an ad on Craigslist. Getting it was quite an ordeal. Delzura is way out in the back country in San Diego County. The seller lives on a gravel/dirt road. Initially I drove out at night. My car's GPS showed the house 4 or 5 miles off the main road. Relying on my GPS, I drove and drove on the dirt road which became increasing more narrow and bumpy (especially since there had been heavy rains the week before). With no houses in site, my car (a Toyota Prius) bottoming out, my cell phone at home and having taken the wrong turn in a recent fork in the road, I was becoming increasing concerned that I would become stuck and stranded in the middle of nowhere for the night, or worse yet, ambushed by bad people. (Okay, I was sort of losing it!) At that point, I didn't care less about any darn typewriter, said a few prayers, turned around in a very tight spot with a cliff on one side, and headed back. Luckily I made it to the paved road. A few days later after learning from the seller that she was only a mile off the paved road, I headed back during daylight and finally made it to the house. The scenery during the day was actually quite beautiful. I relay this story only to show that typewriter hunting can be quite adventurous and not for the faint of heart! The typewriter seems to be in good condition. Cosmetically it shows signs of solid use, but not abuse. Mechanically it seems to work well except the shift key sticks.

Oliver

Olivetti

Olympia

I did not find much on the Internet about typewriter keyboards with math and science symbols. I assume they are relatively uncommon. SMECC - Typewriters for Math and Science describes a much more complex tandem scientific typewriter consisting of two typewriters with one carriage. One of the typewriters has normal characters. The other has science and math notation. The price was $1,290 in 1959. Having different keyboard characters or symbols is not limited to math and science. For example, different keyboards are used in many different languages. See Keyboard Layouts - AbsoluteAstronomy.com. Some typewriters also have a couple or few keys you could change. For example, I remember my sister's Sears Medalist Power 12, similar to the one below under Smith Corona, had a couple of inserts you put over selected typefaces to change the typeface. There were also corresponding caps to put over the keys.

The problem of using science and math symbols in a type written document is much easier today with computers. For example, in most word processing programs like Microsoft Word you can "Insert" a "Symbol." There are several categories of symbols each with dozens of choices. For frequently used symbols you can create your own shortcut keystrokes for the symbol. These symbols will often not be understood in plain text editors like Microsoft Notepad, however, and hence are trickier to put on Web pages. Another choice for mathematical sentences and equations on Microsoft Word and some other word processors is to "Insert" "Object." One object is "Equation Editor." That opens a window where you can easily write complex mathematical sentences and equations using the mouse and the drop down choices. It is also available in PowerPoint. Microsoft Equation Editor is a simplified version of Design Science's MathType which works with many more applications and Web sites. See, generally, Wikipedia, Microsoft Equation Editor and Wikipedia, MathType.

This SM-3 is in good cosmetic condition. The keys work although some are sticky. The keyboard and carriage were locked for shipping. This is done by a single chrome lever on the far left of the top row of the keys. The up position is locked. The down position is unlocked. I discovered this from the SM-9 manual at strikethru.net and by using my other SM-3 below. The keyboard unlocks fine. The carriage is not unlocking, however. I need to investigate what's wrong further. Something may have become stuck during shipping.

In addition to the standard 10 inch carriage that mine has, there was also a 13 inch wide carriage model. I found the new price for the 13 inch model in a round about way. Brookhaven National Laboratory, in their November 17, 1965 Bulletin Board newsletter, has a classified ad for “Typewriter, Olympia, model SM7 delux, w/special 13” carriage and carry-case, artistic script type – looks like handwriting, year old in perfect cond, with extra ribbons and manual, cost, $142.50; price, $75 firm.” $142.50 was a lot of money in 1964 when one considers the price of an entrée in the cafeteria, such as Stuffed Pork Chop, Roast Leg of Lamb, or Roast Sirloin of Beef au jus, was just 65 cents! Adjusted for inflation, $142.50 in 1964 equals over $980 in 2008 dollars!

Writer Kevin McGowin in his article "Why I Still Use a Manual Typewriter" in The Classic Typewriter Page Typewriter Tributes laments at giving his Olympia SM-7 away to another writer. McGowin replaced it with the SM-9 (circa 1965) which he describes as "a fine machine, but for me, one without the great action of the SM 7." As to other typewriter models in my collection, he states: "I never much cared for the Hermes 3000, and for me the Hermes Baby and especially the Rocket felt to me like typing on bathroom scales . . .." He reminisces fondly about traveling around the world with an Olivetti Lettera 32 and eventually giving it to "the great and underrated novelist, poet and playwright James Purdy." While McGowin favored the SM7 to the SM9 many prefer the basket shift of the SM9 to the carriage shift of the SM7. (In the SM9 the basket with the typeface moves up and down to switch from lower to upper case. In the SM7 the carriage moves up and down.) The SM9 actually had several variations over the years as explained at Olympia SM9 Production Breakdown. Writer Paul Auster and artist Sam Messer wrote and illustrated a book about Auster’s Olympia SM-9 called The Story of My Typewriter (Distributed Art Publishers, Inc 2002) and available at Amazon.com. It is apparent that writers like Kevin McGowin, Paul Auster and Larry McMurtry who did a tribute to his Hermes 3000 at the Golden Globe awards, respect and appreciate their typewriters which remain their faithful tools of the trade even in this age of the computer.

I used an Olympia desktop typewriter similar to the later version of the SM9 portable in a summer school typing class after my freshmen year in high school. All the students were girls except me and one other guy. I was not very good at typing. I received my only C grade in high school. While I like collecting typewriters, I actually hate using them! Viva la computer! Change is good!

Optima

Remington

Another computer connection is that Commodore, which made one of the first personal computers, the PET, and the largest selling computer, the Commodore 64, made mechanical calculators and typewriters before computers. Their Commodore Standard typewriter was a Remington Super-Riter clone as explained at Commodore Typewriters, part of the same Web site as Re-built Typewriters.

A 1953 National Geographic Magazine has an ad for the Super-Riter stating: "She's got rhythm . . . She's got tested tempo touch . . . on her new Remington Super-riter. TESTED TEMPO TOUCH is a truly remarkable innovation in typebar action and key design. It makes manual typing faster, easier, and truly rhythmic. And that isn't all. The new Super-riter also features:

• Perfect Positioning Scale- Exclusive feature combined with new simplified margin controls assures perfectly centered letters and headings.
• Expanded Capacity Keyboard- to provide 2 additional keys (4 extra characters) at no extra cost.

My Remington Super-Riter was purchased at a garage sale in the San Carlos area of San Diego on 9-13-08 for $5. It is in good cosmetic and working condition. Some keys stuck at first but then loosened up. There is an old label on the front and some paint loss where the hands rest. There is a label on the side for Hutchinson Business Machines, with a phone number of AT1-45(?)17. Perhaps it was in Hutchinson, Kansas before San Diego, although that may have just been the name of the company. All in all a cool 1950s standard typewriter.

Rover

Royal

I bought my Royal KHM at a Chula Vista, CA garage sale on July 17, 2010 for $10. It had been listed on Craigslist. It had belonged to the seller's parents. The seller's dad had passed away earlier in 2010 and the mom had passed away several years earlier. The typewriter appears to have been well cared for during its earlier life but fell on tough times in more recent years having been stored in an unfinished basement. Typically California houses do not have basements except where the house is built on a hill like this one. Then you often get basement or storage areas with bare ground and hence a lot of moisture. Moisture and typewriters don't go well together. This typewriter therefore had a lot of rust! All the keys, the shift control and the carriage were frozen. I do not recommend doing the following but nevertheless I sprayed liberal amounts of water soluble citrus degreaser on all the internal parts. I hosed it down with water being careful not to hit the glass keys. I figured water might get into the glass keys and destroy the letter labels. I then carefully dried it first with a towel and then with a hair dryer. I then liberally applied Tri-Flow lubricant to the internal parts. To release the frozen typebars I carefully grabbed each and moved it back and forth while lubricating each joint. Eventually all the typebars moved freely. The shift and shift lock work fine. The carriage moves freely with the carriage release. The carriage is still not advancing however when a letter or space bar is pressed. I need to investigate further. Perhaps something is wrong with the escapement. I polished the cover area which I had removed with car polish. The paint on the area where the paper lays had been bubbled and came off during cleaning. I repainted these areas with Universal Black car touch up paint. It doesn't look great, but it is black. The typewriter is also missing the side cover/window on the left side. Much of the chrome is pitted and rusted. Overall, it cleaned up nicely and looks a lot better. It is still not a show piece, however. I would only clean up a typewriter in this manner it you know it has a minimal value like $10. If you have a rare, pricey or sentimental machine to restore, it is is best to take it to a professional restorer and have it carefully disassembled, cleaned in a non-water based solvent, reassembled, adjusted and carefully lubricated. I put on a lot of lubricant which may gum up and attract dirt in the future. At least it should impede further rust, however. All in all it was satisfying giving some new life to an old machine.

Silver Reed

Singer

Singer was formed in 1851 in New York City and is best known for its sewing machines. The Singer Web site celebrates its long history. The Scholastic name was also used as a sewing machine model. In 1965 Singer acquired Friden calculator company. The sewing machine and electronic devices divisions were split and sold in 1989 and 1990 according to Wikipedia - Singer Corporation. The company today appears to concentrate again in sewing machines but also has other products. Brother also made both typewriters and sewing machines in the 1960s.

A much earlier connection between typewriters and sewing machines was the very first commercially successful typewriter, the Sholes & Glidden, made in 1874. As explained at The Virtual Typewriter Museum, the original Sholes & Glidden was on a sewing machine platform with the foot treadle operating the carriage return. It was manufactured by E. Remington & Sons, which at the time made sewing machines as well as Remington firearms. By 1883 the typewriter operations were sold off, but with the continued right to use the Remington name. (See The Virtual Typewriter Museum - Remington 2.)

Smith Corona

I acquired a second one from an ad on Craigslist on Sunday June 8, 2008 in the City Heights area of San Diego, also for $10. It is also in good cosmetic and working condition with case, except the "z" key came loose from the typebar and isn't striking. I think it can be fixed, however.

From this description, it is obvious that besides being a typewriter, this machine is also a computer with built in word processing and spreadsheet applications. These types of machines were designed for those who just wanted to do word processing or simple spreadsheets, and wanted to avoid the expense and steeper learning curve of a general purpose personal computer. The problem for Smith Corona and others, however, is that the price of general purpose personal computers continued to fall throughout the 1990s. (See Smith Corona: Information form Answers.com.) By 1995 with the introduction of Windows 95, most PCs were also much easier to use with graphical user interfaces. Most Apple computers had also used a graphical user interface since 1984. 1995 also marked the start of the incredible growth of the Internet and World Wide Web. (See Internet World Stats and W3C - A Little History of the World Wide Web.) By 1995 people were therefore looking to not only write papers, but to surf the Web. Images also became much more important on the computer and a monochrome monitor with no graphics capabilities was no longer appealing. The 1990s marked the end of most uses of the typewriter - a general purpose personal computer was simply much better at word processing and could do so much more. The price of computers and printers also continued to drop toward the price of what typewriters had historically cost. By the 1990s the typewriter was obsolete for most purposes. They are still very cool to collect, however!

I purchased this machine at a garage sale in La Mesa, CA on 3-14-09 for about $10. It is in very good working and cosmetic condition and includes the manuals and utility diskette. The original owner said she had only used it only maybe six times, which is likely given the history above.

Smith Premier

Triumph

Underwood

Xerox