April and May Typewriter Sightings

I have been sulking a bit since I passed on getting a Remington Portable #1 (with the pop-up keys) after I tried to bargain with the flea market seller and he would not budge. I should have made an exception to my rule of not paying "full price" for anything in an open market - this was a lovely, working typewriter, not often seen, and fitting in with all my new "vintage vintage portable" aesthetic requirements. But I was stubborn, and so was he, and so I moved on. Without even taking a picture, apparently. I still have a few pangs of regret, but they're fading - although I would still like to find one of those someday.

That said, we're off tomorrow to Berlin for a couple of days, so before then I shall put up a few pictures of discoveries here and there I have been meaning to post.

 At the end of April, we made an excursion to Annecy in neighboring France to see what the fuss was all about - everyone we know touts it as a "must-visit" town, with stunning views and lovely architecture. It was just ok, methinks - the view is lovely, but living in Switzerland one does see an awful lot of lakes and mountains... so much so that my eyes just glazed over, really. It didn't look all that much different from the view in Geneva, or Lucerne, or Berne, or Zurich...

We only spent a couple of hours in Annecy, a tiny sleepy town, before beating a hasty retreat to Geneva. Fortunately, I had planned our visit to coincide with Annecy's monthly flea market, which I had high hopes for. Sadly, there was only one typewriter to be spotted: this handsome Continental standard. A decent sighting, but it didn't quite salvage the effort we had spent to get to Annecy.

I was slightly mollified to come across this stand devoted almost entirely to writing paraphernalia - dip pens, inks, ink wells, and starter kits. I didn't purchase anything, being up to my ears in this stuff already, but it was nice to see that there seemed to be such a strong interest in writing implements.

Another of my favorite objects had a strong showing: there were many varieties of globes.

Back to our local flea market, a couple of weeks after Annecy. We spotted this Underwood Champion nestled upside down in its box, all the better to show it off.

A Japy Script that had seen much better days, obviously crying out for a good soak in Evapo-Rust!

A forest-green Olympia SM-3 that evoked fond memories of the one I used to have.

A very interested potential buyer - I didn't stick around to see how it ended up, but she spent quite a good amount of time fiddling with the typewriter, so hopefully it found a new home with her.

A handsome Adler standard, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the Hermes Ambassador. I like how the keys are the same exact style and shape used on the '50s Tippas, which are about a fifth the size of this behemoth...

Just yesterday, we saw... a Rooy!!! How about that? A non-portable one this time, and with the dreaded azerty keyboard. But still, a very nice sighting - just look at those massive gull-wing ribbon covers.

Terrible picture, but I feel the need to prove that I actually saw a Royal Royalite in person, finally! I was tempted - it was after all portable and reasonably-priced - but the elite typeface and plastic body (I never knew these were plastic) dissuaded me.

Not pictured are various Hermes typewriters (as usual :D), or the Olivetti Lettera 32 that I came across while perusing a neighborhood garage sale yesterday. The owner was very eager to sell it, offering it for $8 (a very reasonable price, I might add) and swearing to its immaculate working condition. But it had one of those weak vinyl cases, and I sauntered on.... eventually coming across a lady selling an unused Nook Color, which I left with instead. (I know, I know. Sigh.)

Vintage vintage portables: Seidel & Naumann Erika 5 (1935)

Which is to say that the best way to prevent having second thoughts later is to make the purchase - providing it fits within my aesthetic, space and budget constraints - and think about passing it on later when I've had a few good hours with it. Speaking of which, there is a remorse-filled story about a recent missed opportunity that I have yet to narrate, but will soon. Till then, some clear pictures of the Erika 5:

If one thinks of the Olivetti Lettera 32 and others of that time as vintage portable typewriters, why, then this Erika 5 is a "vintage vintage" - predating the portable trend that swept through the '50s and '60s, but still working just as well as any of those and managing to look even more stately in the process, what with its glossy black finish and glass keys.

There is no carriage return lever, but a clever system of moving up a small lever accomplishes the line spacing function admirably. If I had to change one thing, it would be the exposed ribbon spools, as I like the streamlined look of ribbon covers. That said, it is a fairly simple matter to change these when they're worn out, so I guess there is that.

 

The decals and name badge are in very good shape, all things considered, and besides a few yellowed keys, the typewriter wears its age quite well. The typeface is a rather ordinary pica, but I find it charming nevertheless. I don't think there were very many options when this was manufactured; I once saw an italic-type Erika (maroon colored, too) on eBay Germany, but I'm sure it was a rather rare find.

Once in the matching wooden case, the Erika 5 is just about as high as the ultra-portable '40s and '50s Hermes Baby/Rocket, but it's about 1.5 times as wide. A perfectly acceptable size, if you ask me, given that the metal from which it is made appears to be significantly sturdier, and that is even before you consider the glass keys. Worth every inch of space it takes up! There aren't many typewriters you could say that about, really.

Typecast: Water, water, everywhere

 

There is something of an "orderly chaos" to Alfred's approach to displaying his typewriters. Here, his "colorful typewriters" section, with several machines artfully arranged to mimic, one imagines, a riotous flower garden.

One of the colorful typewriters awaited our writing pleasure on the dining table: a pinkish-red Olivetti Lettera 32. This would fetch a princely sum on the 'Bay, for sure.

Another section of the "colorful typewriters" display shows a red Olivetti Valentine and a green Olympia Traveler de Luxe among several brightly-hued toy typewriters.

Alfred has many Hermes Baby typewriters, but this one has a rare feature: a Hebrew keyboard.

There were so many typewriters I could barely hope to photograph them all, so I took to trying to get some decent group shots, like this one.

 

There were also several "demonstrator" models of typewriter parts, salvaged from commercial schools. I liked this cutaway of a Swissa Junior, showing the action by which pressure on a key-top is transformed into a platen strike.

Even the trains in Lucerne come with a special section of antique typewriters... this Rofa typewriter seems to have sprouted a trunk, arms, and legs. He was very friendly...

The very impressive Mount Pilatus, as seen from Lucerne's picturesque lakeside. I see I have no choice here but to admit that my inability to write a straight line on blank paper manifests itself in other ways too... no, the shoreline does not slope precariously to the right as though the whole kit and caboodle were about to fall into a sinkhole; it is I who is incapable of holding a camera perfectly horizontal. Mea culpa. In my defense, the boat in the foreground and the mountain still look sort of ok... ah, well.

Our tour guide, the venerable Rofa typewriter, also showed us Lucerne's famous wooden bridge, from which we watched several thousands of Swiss fitness fanatics start off on an amateur foot race of some sort. Given the high temperatures, I was glad to watch from the shade of the bridge instead!

That wraps up last week's adventure nicely. In the meantime, Georg is occupied with some intriguing research on Paillard, and I urge you to take a look at the absolute treasure trove of Hermes ads he has unearthed, if you haven't seen it already: http://sommeregger.blogspot.com/2011/05/hermes-paillard-ads.html