This Silver-Reed 500 typewriter is the 37th to join the collection, i think it is the first green one too! It has a wide carriage which i am not that keen on as it does make storing the typewriter more difficult. However, it is a machine that has no doubt worked hard on a desk somewhere typing out invoices and memos and still works pretty well now. Though it will need a new ribbon.
The latest typewriter has arrived, and it is this rather nice Olympus Splendid 66, it is indeed quite splendid. The typewriter was non-working when it arrived but i got it back into decent working order. The typewriter is my first French typewriter (or la machine à écrire - i had to look that up!) It has an AZERTY keyboard and accented character keys.
Typing on a Petite International de luxe, a typewriter aimed at children but can still cope with adult fingers, just about.
A new typewriter has joined the collection, and it is pretty different to all of the others in there. It is a Petite International Deluxe and is a typewriter for children or juniors. The typewriter is fairly compact and lightly built from mostly plastic. It is a fully functional machine though and seems to work pretty well (if a bit stiff at times). However, the ribbon is completely shot so that will need replacing.
This is an attractive and light weight (i.e. mostly plastic) portable typewriter from the 1970s, the Adsit Graduate is in fact a product of Smith-Corona as it states on the back of the machine (see below). The typewriter is a British made and locally branded version of the Smith-Corona Corsair.
Unfortunately, the typewriter doesn't work that well. A number of the hammers get stuck including the one for the letter A which is awkward (especially as you can't even type the word). Externally, the typewriter looks to be overall in decent condition and apart from the issues lifted above seems to be largely mechanically sound, so it may be fixable.
This typewriter joined the collection in late 2022 and so far is the only Underwood machine in the collection. It is a nice looking machine in a pleasing white and beige colour, though does have an annoying case which makes it a chore to get the typewriter in and out of!
The typewriter has received a new ribbon (which was a slightly fiddly task) and types nicely, apart from the shift key which sometimes sticks.
Another typewriter has joined the collection, that makes thirty-four now, no news on when the first chimpanzees will arrive. The latest machine is this rather lovely Litton Imperial 220, a 1970s model that is in very good condition apart from the noticable scratch. The machine arrived without a ribbon but i fitted one of my spares and it types pretty well.
Boots the Chemist also sold office equipment back in the day (and music too, the first LP i ever bought was from the local Boots!) I have three Boots branded typewriters in the collection of which the PT400 is the latest to arrive. This is a very similar machine to the likes of the Silver-Reed SR10 and is in very good working order.
Interestingly, the machine came with it's manual which included details of when it was first purchased! That was in Cambridge in 1988. In the intervening thirty-six years the typewriter has been well cared for and still types as new.
The Litton Imperial 201 was the thirteenth typewriter to join my collection and is a basically fine machine with some good looking black keys. The only snag with the machine when i got it was that the ribbon was completely worn out, the typewriter has now been fitted with a new one.
It types pretty well, though not as loud as some of the others in the collection. The Imperial Typewriter Company was a venerable old British company but was taken over by the Americans in the 1960s. By the time this machine was built, typewriter manufacturing has finally stopped at Imperial's factory in Leicester and this 201 was manufactured in Japan.
This typewriter is similar to a few others in the collection, including the Silver-Reed Silverette. The Seventy is a nice compact little portable typewriter that is in remarkably good condition. When i first received it i thought it was brand new! It was only after a closer inspection that i could see there was a little wear and tear on it here and there, though not much. The typewriter looks like it has not been hardly used, if it has it has been, it has been very well cared for.
The Seventy types pretty well, a couple of keys on the fringes are a bit awkward but that might just require a little correction, usage or lubricant to loosen them. The Seventy only types in one colour (black).
The Seventy is one of the favourite typewriters in my collection. Indeed, a while ago on my old blog i listed the three typewriters i would take with me to a desert island and the Seventy was my third pick!
It has been some time since i bought a new typewriter so here is one which arrived yesterday, a Sears Chevron. Now, Sears is a big American retailer so this machine was a badged machine which they sold similar to the Boots and WH Smiths machines already in my collection. Indeed, the typewriter is based on a Messa ABC 2000. The typewriter works very well and is very loud and crisp in operation, which i of course like.
I have added a new typewriter to my collection, the fourth so far this year. The rather nice Maritsa 30 is number 32 in the collection. I should have bought it earlier in the year so the name would have been more apt! The Maritsa is a fine late 1980s machine, the last wave of typewriters before the onslaught of the microcomputer. It comes with a rather nice, microcomputer-esque case.
In 2013 i bought my first typewriter, and today i received my thirty first! The Silver-Reed Master II is a nice machine i found cheap on eBay, i know i often say this but it should be the last i buy for some time...
Me typing on my Brother Deluxe 1350, the first typewriter i bought back in 2013. Little did i know that just over ten years later i would have thirty. There is another on the way too.
I'm sure this is only the first of a few machines to join the collection this year! The latest typewriter is this Silver Reed SR10. It seems to work fine though needs a new ribbon. It also came with a lot of paper and even some carbon sheets which is unusual.
