- barryuk
- New Member
Offline 
- Registered: 22-9-2017
- Posts: 10
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
That's very helpful, thank you. When do you think it was made? I set it at round 1965, based on similar.
'Life is too short to stuff a mushroom'
- Uwe
- Moderator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,410
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
I would guess late-'70s, maybe early '80s given that the Traveller was made in Yugoslavia by UNIS up to that point. The serial number should be located under the ribbon cover, on the right side, just in front of the keyboard. With the number we might be able to narrow down the year of manufacture.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- barryuk
- New Member
Offline
- Registered: 22-9-2017
- Posts: 10
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
I should have quoted this before. Serial number is: 9629627
'Life is too short to stuff a mushroom'
- •
Thread Starter- Uwe
- Moderator
Offline
- From: Toronto, Canada
- Registered: 12-3-2013
- Posts: 4,410
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
Based on that number I'd consider your Traveller to be a ca. 1978 model. I'm still somewhat surprised that these machines were even made given that UNIS was producing the Traveller still for Olympia during that time (see photo below of my Traveller from ca. 1980). It leads me to speculate that they were produced for a specific market(s); it would have been great to know where your typewriter was originally sold.
The pronoun I has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
- barryuk
- New Member
Offline
- Registered: 22-9-2017
- Posts: 10
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
Interesting photo. I bought it in the Canary Islands; it has Spanish keys
'Life is too short to stuff a mushroom'
- •
Thread Starter- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,405
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
Here is another one of those mystery machines...offered on eBay from Australia.
Note the "Made In Brazil" badge on the back panel. And no Tabulator function (with fixed stops) as my Olympia 3 made-in-Japan has.
Photos, below...
.
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,405
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
This Olympia machine on eBay from Australia sure looks a lot like the Olivetti - Tropical (see below)...also made in Brazil :
.
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,405
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
And here is my 1970's Olympia (made in Japan)...
...with a fixed Tabulator feature and styling more like a Traveller but with the raise rear panel of the Olivetti machines...
And the Japanese moved the touch-control outside the ribbon cover to the left side of the key-tops.
.
- thetypewriterman
- Key Master
Offline
- From: Leiston, England
- Registered: 29-5-2013
- Posts: 923
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
Yes the Australian Olympia Traveller is without a shadow if doubt an 'Olivetti Tropical', which was mechanically based on the Hermes Baby. The Olivetti ribbon spools give it away an an Olivetti product (even though sold with Olympia branding) and the platen knobs, if you look closely, are those of the Hermes Baby, but moulded in grey plastic. The Brazilian connection comes because Hermes was looking for cheaper and cheaper labour to make their portables and set up a factory in Brazil. Then Hermes was bought by Olivetti who by default acquired a Brazilian factory making a portable that was nothing like the Lettera 32-related machines that made up Olivetti's portable range. So the bizarre decision was made to copy the outside casing of the Olympia Traveller and insert the Hermes-derived mechanism inside it. No-one seems to know if this copying was with permission or not. How strange then, that the 'copy' was then sold as the real thing in Australia by the original manufacturers !
- Pete E.
- Typewriter Talk Elite
Offline
- From: Idaho - USA
- Registered: 23-6-2020
- Posts: 2,405
Re: Olympia Traveller Deluxe or Olivetti Tropical?
So Tom...Olympia must have made some deal with Olivetti, then, to have their badging placed on what otherwise is the Tropical (Hermes) machine...??? And allowing them to be sold as Olympia-branded machines...???
