Unfortunately, I can report that pickings have become very slim in the Low Countries too. Thrift stores sometimes have 70-ies machines, never older. The online classifieds gets harvested effectively by the Etsy-sellers :) Nevertheless, remains fun to browse and am finding there's still much interesting mechanics to discover (and to blog about - albeit irregularly ;-)
Thanks, Robert! I hope that slim pickings mean that typewriters are getting purchased and loved - we had our chance to snap them all up a decade ago so I don't mind too much if they are no longer as plentiful or cheap as they were before. I do enjoy browsing the online classifieds with a cuppa and marveling at the (aspirational) prices mentioned, though!
Thanks, Dwayne! I hope I can make the blog work again despite some of the annoyances of posting and formatting here; it has proven to be a useful resource to others despite my absence and it will be almost a whole new project to get reacquainted with the collection and see what I've kept over the years.
Thanks, Bill! I was pleasantly surprised to be able to find an Epoca as well, right at the time that someone asked me to help them find one, and after not having looked at the classified listings for years. Many sellers don't even include typeface samples but this one had, typing KAUF MICH (buy me) in uppercase... the distinctive sans-serif was all I needed to see! It was as thrilling a find as any I had at the height of my collecting days.
Welcome back. I think that in one sense, we all love communicating and connecting. It can be hard to find things that we can all happily talk about without getting drawn into the full messy complicated reality of the world. I hope that w/ comments & moderation properly enabled, this proves more satisfying. And also, if I inadvertently published a half-completed version of this, please accept my apologies and feel free to weed it out as the neighbor-to-spam that it is.
Thanks, David! You're right that there are few uncontroversial topics these days, but fortunately typewriters are one of those - finding them, admiring them, and using them. I agree that it is because we are all drawn to communicating and connecting... and there is lots to love about the ingenuity of these little machines. The return is going well so far, although I am sure there is still much to optimize about the Blogger interface but I'm also trying not to break anything/ turn this into an overwhelming project so will maintain as-is for now.
I have never run across an Epoca machine in the wild, and have in fact never owned one. I did get two H3K's with interesting typefaces recently: a "squashed down" one with serifs, and a tiny one (smaller than elite). Both exquisitely aligned.
Unfortunately, I can report that pickings have become very slim in the Low Countries too. Thrift stores sometimes have 70-ies machines, never older. The online classifieds gets harvested effectively by the Etsy-sellers :)
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, remains fun to browse and am finding there's still much interesting mechanics to discover (and to blog about - albeit irregularly ;-)
Thanks, Robert! I hope that slim pickings mean that typewriters are getting purchased and loved - we had our chance to snap them all up a decade ago so I don't mind too much if they are no longer as plentiful or cheap as they were before. I do enjoy browsing the online classifieds with a cuppa and marveling at the (aspirational) prices mentioned, though!
DeleteLovely! I just published my first post in quite some time and decided to check out happenings in the Typosphere. Glad to see your post.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Dwayne! I hope I can make the blog work again despite some of the annoyances of posting and formatting here; it has proven to be a useful resource to others despite my absence and it will be almost a whole new project to get reacquainted with the collection and see what I've kept over the years.
DeleteWelcome Back! Congratulations on the fine Hermes (with my favorite typeface)!
ReplyDeleteI've yet to find one with Epoca.
Very slip pickings for typewriters here in Michigan, at least at fair prices and in good condition.
Thanks, Bill! I was pleasantly surprised to be able to find an Epoca as well, right at the time that someone asked me to help them find one, and after not having looked at the classified listings for years. Many sellers don't even include typeface samples but this one had, typing KAUF MICH (buy me) in uppercase... the distinctive sans-serif was all I needed to see! It was as thrilling a find as any I had at the height of my collecting days.
DeleteWelcome back again! :D May your return be really GREAT!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Ted! I'll know for sure once I've published a few more posts but so far so good :)
DeleteWelcome back. I think that in one sense, we all love communicating and connecting. It can be hard to find things that we can all happily talk about without getting drawn into the full messy complicated reality of the world. I hope that w/ comments & moderation properly enabled, this proves more satisfying. And also, if I inadvertently published a half-completed version of this, please accept my apologies and feel free to weed it out as the neighbor-to-spam that it is.
ReplyDeleteThanks, David! You're right that there are few uncontroversial topics these days, but fortunately typewriters are one of those - finding them, admiring them, and using them. I agree that it is because we are all drawn to communicating and connecting... and there is lots to love about the ingenuity of these little machines. The return is going well so far, although I am sure there is still much to optimize about the Blogger interface but I'm also trying not to break anything/ turn this into an overwhelming project so will maintain as-is for now.
DeleteWelcome back!
ReplyDeleteI have never run across an Epoca machine in the wild, and have in fact never owned one. I did get two H3K's with interesting typefaces recently: a "squashed down" one with serifs, and a tiny one (smaller than elite). Both exquisitely aligned.
Whoa!! This model and that typeface are simply awesome!!
ReplyDelete