The first portable electric from 1957.. SCM 5TE.. One of my better finds. Still works beautifully. I have a youtube on it somewhere.
Electronic typewriters
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Some others in the little collection
Phil.. The Hermes.. one of the nicest portables there is.
Phil.. The Hermes.. one of the nicest portables there is.
ovrphil
Well-known member
Nice collection Petek - I will need someone to repair mine; needs a roller of course, and the scale is disconnected on the right side, but I think you're spot on about the Hermes 3000 - (yours looks perfect).
Typewriters Still In Use...
Ohhh yes!
Did you know many police departments still use typewriters? Just as in Barney Millar, Kojak and other police television shows or films it is what they use to type reports and such.
In many local area hospitals, morgues, physicians and others still use typewriters because laws require death and birth certificates to be filled in by typing, just as it has been for ages.
Just as with we here; there is also a collectors market for typewriters: http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone.../80562108/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=
One of my favorite sites: http://mytypewriter.com/
You've heard of "Wash-Ins", well there are Type-Ins as well. Collectors and others meet at a selected location bringing along their typewriters. Many schools and colleges even have typing clubs.
Living here in NYC am fortunate that Gramercy Typewriter is still around doing what they have for decades.
Ohhh yes!
Did you know many police departments still use typewriters? Just as in Barney Millar, Kojak and other police television shows or films it is what they use to type reports and such.
In many local area hospitals, morgues, physicians and others still use typewriters because laws require death and birth certificates to be filled in by typing, just as it has been for ages.
Just as with we here; there is also a collectors market for typewriters: http://www.azcentral.com/story/mone.../80562108/?from=global&sessionKey=&autologin=
One of my favorite sites: http://mytypewriter.com/
You've heard of "Wash-Ins", well there are Type-Ins as well. Collectors and others meet at a selected location bringing along their typewriters. Many schools and colleges even have typing clubs.
Living here in NYC am fortunate that Gramercy Typewriter is still around doing what they have for decades.
Before I retired
Up until I got moved to our head office I kept one of the Selectrics in my office because it was a helluva lot easier to address the occasional envelope or type a short memo etc than fiddle around doing it on the puter and printer which usually meant 2 or 3 tries to get it to print in the right spot on said envelope.
The worst electric office typewriter for actually typing on but also one of the coolest looking to me were the Olivetti Praxis. Not that I wouldn't want one now for the collection. A supervisor in one of our smaller stations bought one for his office. I remember after he retired sometime in the 90's I tried to get my hands on it to take home but was too late, it got thrown in a dumpster .
Up until I got moved to our head office I kept one of the Selectrics in my office because it was a helluva lot easier to address the occasional envelope or type a short memo etc than fiddle around doing it on the puter and printer which usually meant 2 or 3 tries to get it to print in the right spot on said envelope.
The worst electric office typewriter for actually typing on but also one of the coolest looking to me were the Olivetti Praxis. Not that I wouldn't want one now for the collection. A supervisor in one of our smaller stations bought one for his office. I remember after he retired sometime in the 90's I tried to get my hands on it to take home but was too late, it got thrown in a dumpster .
Daisy Wheel typewriter
my word processor I used in college and my dad's typewriter had daisy wheels in them. We could change out the wheel to change the character font. That processor was a life saver for me...we didn't even have Word yet! I learned to type in HS on some very nice electronic Royal machine that was made in Germany. 75wpm on a good day without errors!
my word processor I used in college and my dad's typewriter had daisy wheels in them. We could change out the wheel to change the character font. That processor was a life saver for me...we didn't even have Word yet! I learned to type in HS on some very nice electronic Royal machine that was made in Germany. 75wpm on a good day without errors!
I took typing class in grade 9 & 10. In grade 9 we had to use manual typewriters only but in grade 10 we used electric. There were several different makes in the classroom IBM, Royal, and a couple of others that I can't remember now. There were only 2 males in the grade 10 class out of about 30 students.....I had the most WPM at around 75 and the other male was second 
For Xmas my parents got me a Sears electric (similiar to the Smith Corona). I still have it but it has not been used since the invention of the home computer.
For Xmas my parents got me a Sears electric (similiar to the Smith Corona). I still have it but it has not been used since the invention of the home computer.
Pete, that '57 SCM electric is a real find! Speaking of Smith Corona, probably my favorite of theirs was the '49 Skyriter with the hard metal case. It was only as thick as a couple of text books and could be taken anywhere. I put a lot of mileage on mine...probably still some onion skin paper in with it upstairs.
Someone above mentioned the transition from renting to sales of the IBM typewriters. I was just reading through IBM's 1980 annual report last night and found the attached pic. Now that's a showroom!
Someone above mentioned the transition from renting to sales of the IBM typewriters. I was just reading through IBM's 1980 annual report last night and found the attached pic. Now that's a showroom!
Back around 82 Xerox installed a retail product centre along the lines of that IBM pictured above but they put it on the 4th floor of the downtown Eatons dept store in Vancouver. That's where I first saw and typed on one. Trouble with having a Memorywriter today is that you're never going to find replacement ribbons etc in a thrift store like I do for Selectrics. IBM had around a dozen different styled typing elements. Somewhere amidst all the junk here I've got one their Kelloggs Variety pack plastic cases with 8 different ones in it.
Memorywriter
Ribbons and so forth are all over eBay, where American shops! *LOL*
Have purchased tons of ribbons and such for my Hermes, Olympia and other typewriters off eBay.
There is a huge stock out there it seems from stationary type stores (remember those?)and other sources of typewriter/office supplies of yesteryear. When real estate became expensive (as in many parts of NYC) places just moved inventory online and closed up physical stores. That and of course there is unused stock from sources such as personal inventory to offices/companies.
Ribbons and so forth are all over eBay, where American shops! *LOL*
Have purchased tons of ribbons and such for my Hermes, Olympia and other typewriters off eBay.
There is a huge stock out there it seems from stationary type stores (remember those?)and other sources of typewriter/office supplies of yesteryear. When real estate became expensive (as in many parts of NYC) places just moved inventory online and closed up physical stores. That and of course there is unused stock from sources such as personal inventory to offices/companies.
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Yeah, you might stand a chance with the IBM supplies. Finding a ribbon cassette for the Typestar 5 might be another matter ; ) At one time I was even able to get a multi-color thermal ribbon locally. And this was pre-internet, but 10 years past the machine's prime.
Managed to find a pic of this amazing little machine. BTW, no dictionary or spell check but the silent operation, light weight and battery operation made for a winning unit, really no bigger than a laptop. Wonder where I stashed mine...
Managed to find a pic of this amazing little machine. BTW, no dictionary or spell check but the silent operation, light weight and battery operation made for a winning unit, really no bigger than a laptop. Wonder where I stashed mine...
ovrphil
Well-known member
Cory -
I just saw(and passed up)one of these Canon Typestar 5'at a thrift. Since I couldn't test it, I didn't want to buy something that might end up just being a prop. Funny, I never thought it might be hard to find a ribbon cassette.
I just saw(and passed up)one of these Canon Typestar 5'at a thrift. Since I couldn't test it, I didn't want to buy something that might end up just being a prop. Funny, I never thought it might be hard to find a ribbon cassette.
I never had an electronic typewriter, but do have a word processor. It was a Christmas gift from my mom in '94; the last I received from her, as she passed away the next May. I've not used it for a long time, but I have it in storage.
When I learned to type in H.S. (11th grade, '72-'73), we started out using manuals - either Royal (Litton Industries at the time) or SCM Smith-Corona. Later we learned to use electric models of those brands. Thankfully I had a great teacher that year, as the one my senior year was lousy - usually not in the typing room, but in the teachers lounge. That was probably just as well, as she had a drinking problem.
The secretaries in the school office used IBM Selectric machines.
When I learned to type in H.S. (11th grade, '72-'73), we started out using manuals - either Royal (Litton Industries at the time) or SCM Smith-Corona. Later we learned to use electric models of those brands. Thankfully I had a great teacher that year, as the one my senior year was lousy - usually not in the typing room, but in the teachers lounge. That was probably just as well, as she had a drinking problem.
The secretaries in the school office used IBM Selectric machines.
I have a feeling IBM supplied a whole lot of highschool classrooms or school boards with Selectrics for a price to good to refuse.
perc-o-prince
Well-known member
I'm sure everyone knows...
Electric typewriters are basically manual typewriters with electric (motor) assist to get the type to the paper, return the carriage, etc. Electronic typewriters may not even have the linkage for each type slug. Some have a rotating ball and others have a daisy wheel; both of which existed on manual typewriters in the 1890's!
We used to host meetings/gatherings for typewriter collectors in the late 90's and early 00's. It was interesting when a newer, young collector would show up and WOW at all the "ancient" technology that didn't use electricity!
Chuck
Electric typewriters are basically manual typewriters with electric (motor) assist to get the type to the paper, return the carriage, etc. Electronic typewriters may not even have the linkage for each type slug. Some have a rotating ball and others have a daisy wheel; both of which existed on manual typewriters in the 1890's!
We used to host meetings/gatherings for typewriter collectors in the late 90's and early 00's. It was interesting when a newer, young collector would show up and WOW at all the "ancient" technology that didn't use electricity!
Chuck
