...for Elvis Costello's 'Everyday I Write the Book'...

Might it perhaps have been intended for export to the Republic of Ireland, or some other location where the coat of arms may have prevented a sale?

I have an Invicta portable (ca. 1949), which is, if I understand correctly, a poor man's ICO: the same (or very similar) Olivetti innards in a flimsier, lighter-weight casing.

I have mixed feelings about it: It's compact, feels solidly-put-together, & it looks great, and the typing action is quite nice, although the typebars seem oddly long & gangly in proportion to the smallish case. But it's rather basic in terms of features: there's no paper guide or paper support (at least some ICOs do have the latter), and no tabulator. My Invicta only has two line-spacing options: slightly too close together or slightly too far apart, whereas I think ICOs and even other Invictas may have a third. The spools are smaller than the standard size (1 5/8").

The last couple of ICOs I've seen for sale on eBay in my neck of the woods have reached over £100, which is way more than I could spare. If that's the going rate, then I don't think they're particularly good value for money. They're lovely to look at, though, and if I had the funds and the opportunity to get a nice shiny red one, I'd certainly be tempted!

Lately I've been using letterheaded paper a friend printed for me using his Victorian printing-press on some 'Conqueror' brand A4 laid office paper. I also have some NOS 13"x8" (foolscap) 'Croxley Script personal typewriting paper', which is surprisingly different in look & feel from today's printer papers. It's also quite lightweight - I'd say less than 80gsm, but it works very well.

Hi, I'm Stuart. I'm 48 and live in the UK. I'm old enough to recall the tail end of the age of typewriters: my big sister was given a toy 'Petite' typewriter as a gift one Christmas, and I recall playing with that as a youngster. And I remember doing a couple of typing lessons on some big old standard machine at school in the early '80s, but, by that time, computers were already beginning to take over, and I was an enthusiast for all things digital. I only caught the typewriter bug relatively recently. A few years ago, on reading about the end of typewriter manufacture in the UK, it occurred to me that I should get one & try it for size.I'd already become newly-enamoured of other pre-digital technologies: film cameras, vinyl LPs, fountain pens & what not. My first purchase was a 1961 Underwood Touch-Master Five: an impressive contraption; but I only got a few months' use out of it before trouble with the ribbon reverse prompted some haplessly botched tinkering on my part which only made things worse. I put it aside, and at length parted company with it. Then, about a year ago, I caught sight of an Olympia portable in a local junk-shop, and brought that home with me. It was, I learned, an SM5, and it worked beautifully. Since then, I've made a start at a small-time collection, with five machines to my name so far. My latest acquisition was an Invicta portable dating from 1949 or so. I greatly enjoy using them all for writing letters to friends & family. Cheers,Stuart / misteraitch