Typecast Writ Small: Swissa Jeunesse - 20 CPI Micro-Elite

I wrote 17 per inch in the typecast, but I was mistaken - this macro shot (excerpt from the letter Nik's parents sent us) shows closer to 20 characters per inch (counting from the first e to the c). Am I counting correctly?

Here is the typewriter itself, finally. Not much to look at externally, perhaps, but chock-full of inner beauty! David from 9.ai has one of these with Bulletin typeface, and I believe Georg has also had his Swissa Jeunesse for several years now.

Note the unusual placement of the carriage return lever; here's a close-up:

The super small typeface is really quite fascinating: according to the letter we received, this Swissa was used in the Museum of Natural History at Bern to type labels for insect specimens. Fitting work, I suppose. I am not sure how common these were;  in fact, the only other typewriter I have come across with micro-elite typeface was a wide-carriage Hermes standard in Alfred Wepf's collection. It always seemed odd to me, having such a huge machine produce such tiny text!

Pity Swissa resorted to boxy plastic at the end, like the last generation Hermes 3000. Come to think of it, the shape, size, and lettering on these keys is exactly the same as the later Hermes 3000s and Baby used - coincidence?

Here is the very squared box it came in. Now I have two Swissas: one with a giant typeface, and one with a tiny typeface. A matched set!

Typewriter Ephemera: Swissa Junior Instruction Manual and Warranty

I uncovered an awesome typewriter find at the flea market over the weekend and proudly hauled it home - boy, it has been a long while since my twice-monthly visits bore fruit. However, I have been slacking on putting up typewriter manuals, so it is time to post up the ephemera from this Swissa Junior. My post on the new acquisition will have to wait till later in the week.

Here is the front and back cover, with a sketch of the factory in Murgenthal. The umbrella-like symbol is actually William Tell's bow and arrow - or so I have been told - and it was included on all genuine Swiss-made products.

Getting the typewriter out of the box, freeing it from the base, and rolling in some paper.

 

Margin stops, margin release key, and a lever to unjam the  keys (now I know what that's for!).

 

Spooling in the ribbon, ready to start typing!

Exhaustingly detailed instructions (I can only guess, I don't speak German) on how to get your machine back on the base and lock the carriage for transport - upright only, please.

Anatomy of a Swissa Junior

While this warranty has long expired, of course, it is amusing to see how many caveats would disqualify virtually all typosphere members from redeeming the warranty (even if it was still valid). Example: Rubber parts are excluded (ossified platens being the bane of our existence); bad handling and insufficient packing void the warranty (so any machines purchased from eBay are automatically disqualified); anyone attempting to repair or modify the machine voids the warranty (and we love to tinker!); and the warranty is only valid for the first purchaser (I think this is the final straw, really).

Swissa Junior Bulletin/Display Portable Typewriter (1950s)

It's never an ideal situation to have a duplicate typewriter in the collection, but as soon as I saw this Swissa Junior on a Swiss auction site late last year (November, I think it was), I just about drooled in anticipation. I have an identical Swissa Junior, but it has a techno typeface and instead of this delicious eggshell blue, it is two shades of blah grey.

Besides, this typewriter has a giant display/ bulletin typeface that I have been searching for quite earnestly ever since I found an Olympia SM-3 with the same type style at Retro Technica last year, but declined to get it for space reasons. When it comes to collecting typewriters, living in barely 500 square feet really harshes my buzz, forcing me to look for the smallest machines possible lest I end up storing typewriters on the balcony (like some others who shall remain unnamed!).

I believe the fellow who I purchased this from was something of a collector as well - he had two other typewriters listed at the same time as this one, and the others had different typefaces as well (one Hermes 3000 pica and one Olympia SM-7 techno). I only had eyes for the Swissa, though, and the auction lasted a seemingly interminable ten days as I refreshed the page each morning and gnawed my fingernails.

My fears turned out to have been well-founded, as a sniper tried to butt in during the last few minutes, but thankfully he gave up after a few tries and this was mine! It arrived in the mail a few days later, securely packaged and including the key to the case and original manual. Given that just a few days before I saw this auction, I had been outbid on an identical typewriter listed on eBay Germany, this was a very nice early Christmas present.

Now that it's here, I'm not really sure why I made such a big fuss, to be honest (*hangs head sheepishly, kicks stones*). Most of it was so I could add to my "type style collection", which I showed in the previous post. (Technically, that collection is far from being complete, and if I found a fraktur typewriter, I would lust after that too. I did on eBay a couple of times last year, actually, and I discovered just how shallow my pockets are! Gothic script is highly sought after.)

As for the practical uses of this typewriter, I'd be hard-pressed to say. I have mainly used it to address envelopes, and it could also come in handy for the occasional typecast if desired - the sans-serif type is not unattractive. Given that it does not get all that much use, I am glad that it is at least very pretty and well-maintained, and it is small enough that I have no trouble hanging on to it.

Swissas are not very common in the States, but just last week a typewriter identical to this one - it is the exact same color and also has a Swiss keyboard - sold on eBay US. Pity the seller did not put up a typing sample...

Swissa Junior Manual Portable Typewriter (1950s)

 

It occurs to me that I have not yet properly introduced the typewriter (techno typeface, purple ribbon) that I used on my last typecast, so here we go. Please meet this lovely Swissa Junior, with a two-tone taupe and light gray metal body with subtle chrome accents. 

 

This version of the Swissa Junior was manufactured by the Swiss company Aug. Birchmeier & Son in Murgenthal, Switzerland in the late 50s. Prior to the redesign, the Swissa Junior (also known as Swissa Piccola) was produced in a body style virtually identical to that of the Japy Script. That style, first produced by another Swiss company, Patria, was very common among European manufacturers including Oliver and Voss (Privat model).

Some features from the previous model remain in this one, including the placement of the ribbon selector on top of the type basket. (Will Davis has some pictures showing the evolution of Swissa portables here.) Notice how the space bar is set in its own metal slot, a rather unusual arrangement. I shall admit that I find the ornate logo rather fetching. 

While the machine itself is a sturdy, compact little thing, the case adds some bulk to it that makes it slightly too large to fit in my regular IKEA Expedit shelves. Pity.

A close-up of the name plate on the rear.

Finally, the case, which is mainly wood covered with fabric, with a plastic handle. As you may have noticed from the baseboard in the other pictures, the seam on the case is a bit of a trompe l'oeil, because it is not where the opening is!

The Swissa Junior is a lovely machine in general, despite slight uppercase alignment problems that can be seen in the typecast. The techno typeface was also a pleasant surprise when I received it, having purchased it on a whim from a Swiss auction site last September. It is carriage-shifted, but feels solid due to the all-metal construction and writes very well and fairly rapidly at that, too. Good find overall, and as Swiss typewriters go, this makes a nice change from the usual Hermes!