Single-element typewriters have excellent alignment, and offer the convenience of interchangeable type styles. But typebar typewriters won out--temporarily--because they were faster. This difference in speed was remedied only by the electrified IBM Selectric, with its "golf ball" type element.
In order to maintain relatively good alignment, the Underwood's typebars pass through a U-shaped slotted segment. Frontstroke mechanism. As this ad from points out, writing on the Underwood is in sight, because the typebars hit the front of the platen. That may sound obvious, but most typebar machines of the ss were understrokes: these "blind writers" typed on the bottom of the platen, and the typist had to raise the carriage in order to see what she had just typed.
There were many attempts to solve this problem, but the frontstroke approach was probably the best. The Underwood was not the first frontstroke machine; it was preceded by the Daugherty, among others. This awkward arrangement of letters was introduced on the Sholes and Glidden of Underwood was wise not to introduce a different arrangement. Four-bank keyboard with single shift. Some other typewriters used "full keyboards," with a separate key for each character.
Check the serial number under the typewriter's carriage. Surjit Buldain Professional. How much is a Royal manual typewriter worth? Even if both typewriters are made by Royal. Pacifico Beilis Professional. What is the oldest typewriter? Cornelis Llarola Professional. Can you still buy a typewriter?
Typewriters , both manual and electric, are still made today. However, they probably aren't what you 're looking for if you want something vintage and authentic. Davis Pfaffenroth Explainer. How much is a Smith Corona typewriter worth? The older machines, manufactured from - , will cost much more than the post-war cheapos.
Ebenezer Vanderlind Explainer. What is the best typewriter to buy? Best Manual Typewriters — Old Version 1. Payal Paraskevopoulos Explainer. How much did typewriters cost in ? In there were only four. Davina Faurie Pundit. What can you do with old typewriters? Dispose of that old Royal, Underwood or Corona gathering dust in the office store room without hurting the environment.
Look at the rows of keys on your model. Portable typewriters, which were slightly smaller, can be dated by their keys. If your portable model has three rows, it is from to ; if it has four rows, it is from the '30s or '40s. Check the serial number under the typewriter's carriage. For example, serial numbers , and are from , and Look for the serial number on the right top of the frame, under the right end of the carriage. If it is an office-sized typewriter with an enclosed frame covered in sheet metal , it's after Underwood portables with three rows of keys date from Those with four rows of keys are mostly from the thirties and forties.
Have a Remington portable? Check my Remington portables page for a list of pre-war Remington portables, with the dates of each model. If it's not on my list, it dates from after World War II. Patent dates can tell you that a typewriter was made after a certain date, but sometimes the machine was made quite a few years after the latest patent date. In the case of older open-frame Underwoods, the company got so many patents that the last patent date is probably very close to the year of manufacture.
Look on the back of the machine for a big decal listing all the patents. If your typewriter has very little plastic , it's probably no later than the mids. If it's painted in crinkle paint with tiny wrinkles , it's usually from the late thirties or the forties. IBM Selectrics date from at the earliest. This also goes for other modern electric machines that use a single type element such as the Selectric "golf ball". Electronic typewriters with a daisy wheel date from the s at the earliest.
The monetary value of a typewriter can't be determined precisely, because there are relatively few collectors and the market is always changing. Furthermore, the condition of a typewriter affects its value significantly. I won't list them all here -- write to me with the details of your typewriter make, model, condition.
0コメント