4) Are they really that rare?

Rarity, with respect to specific typewriter models, is a term that is too often bandied about. What is really known about this specific Remington model, and what are the concrete facts about its production history that omit the idle speculation of self-appointed typewriter experts? 

When you look at the production serial numbers assigned to the 3B in the database - itself not a infallible source of information - we can guess that at least 5000 examples of the model were produced. Some bloggers claim the exact number is 5,075, but that could very well prove to be incorrect. Presumably they arrived at that total using the database, which shows the first serial number of a production period and the serial number 5,075 being repeated in two consecutive months (arguably because production had stopped). But how accurate is this? The numbers were apparently gleaned from a "Remington Information Binder", and relies on the accuracy of the information in that one specific publication.

My point isn't to squabble over what might be a difference of a few hundred or so machines, it is to illustrate that there are no absolutes when it comes to quoted production numbers. Assuming then that we are talking about at least 5,000 machines, the 3B hardly qualifies as being a rare commodity. I own a number of wristwatches of which only 50 examples were produced and I don't even consider them to be a rarity (I also have a one-off model - the only one of its kind - which to me is a true rarity).  

Ah, I can hear all the fists pounding on tables right now, and the shouts arguing that production numbers don't count, it's only how many machines still exist that matters. I agree. And with respect to surviving examples, who on this planet can definitively state how many 3B typewriters are still around? No one can.

Enthusiasts too often base their perception of a model's rarity on what they see on websites such as eBay and Craigslist. They believe it to be a barometer of some kind because machines produced in very large numbers can often be found there, but based on my experience I would disagree with assumptions made using those online sources. Using eBay as a guideline not only assumes that you never miss a single eBay auction for a particular model, but also that every 3B being sold is advertised as such. Too often I've found more than one example of the same machine locally, whether through an online ad, thrift store, antique shop, or a flea market, that I've never seen on eBay. It's worth remembering that the sales that are happening offline around the world easily eclipses what is being sold on eBay. 

If we move away from the machines that are found for sale and look at how many reported ownerships there are of a specific model, it's equally inconclusive. At the moment there are six 3Bs in the database, which to me is a lot considering how many models aren't represented at all in the database. And that's just the database; not everyone who buys and collects typewriters posts their machines there (a large percentage of the machines that I own are not included in my database collection either). In fact, many machines out there don't make it online and can't be conveniently found using a Google search, which is why I consider what I find online to be a small representation of what's really out there: For all we know there could be a couple of thousand 3Bs in the closets and basements of uninterested owners.

I've rambled on far too long, so in brief: (1) I don't consider the machine to be a true rarity. Is it less common than say an Underwood 5? Of course, but that's not enough to qualify it as being rare; (2) Having only seen a couple of a particular model on eBay over the span of a year is not an indicator of rarity.

Rarity is subjective, and relative to both the observer and the object. A non-typewriter person may consider manual typewriters in general to be rare, as they may not have seen one in years, because they are not looking for them, and it is no longer a ubiquitous thing in their world. A hardcore typewriter collector may reserve such designations for machines that may only exist in handfuls, as they are worn by the word "rare" being thrown about as a way to gin up sales on sites like eBay, and they have greater exposure to typewriters, and may have the know-how and network to obtain what may be less obtainable to others. Some items may be rare in certain contexts and not in others. A 3B would be rare compared to a Quiet De Luxe, but not compared to a Royal Grand.

As for my sightings of 3Bs for sale, I have not seen one in person, but have seen a few from time to time on both eBay and Etsy. I believe there is one on Craigslist in Northern Ohio right now, at least it was there last week.

SoucekFan wrote:

Though I wouldn't recommend buying it... 

Is that a blanket non-recommendation for the model, for this particular example, or just at this particular price?

I recently got one in Japan. The seller sent it from Hokkaido. I have no idea how it got there, and who brought it. I don't imagine US Occupation personnel were stationed in Sapporo? In any event, they are odd machines, and I will need to get my platen recovered. Unless that will reduce its value and authenticity