Thanks for the reply Beak. I have added a pic below of the Lettera 22. It's looking good after a good clean of the keys and a new black ribbon. Any help on narrowing down the year of production would be great. The back plate reads Olivetti - Glasgow Made In Gt Britain. This info narrows it down to a british made machine. I have removed the Lever arm as it is needs a little bit of work on it...


Hastings36

Last edited by Hastings36 (10-5-2014 09:04:32)

Thanks Uwe.  It slipped my mind to add the Serial number to my other post.

The number is 7777 595

Thanks, Hastings36

Thanks for the help Uwe. This is how the number looks on the frame...


 

thetypewriterman wrote:

After 1961, the serial numbering sequence changed, together with the keytops becoming square and the blue finish looking more like that of its' successor - the Lettera 32.

I haven't been able to prove it definitively yet, but I have always assumed that the 22s with the round keys were '50s machines, and the more squared key models from the early '60s. I have a '62 model and it has the squared keys (they're grey too instead of black), but the problem is that I've found a few exceptions to that rule. I suppose it's always possible that on those odd machines that they keys were replaced at some point for the later generation type. 

I was hoping that the photo would show an S in front of that second 7, which is why I asked for it, but it's definitely a 7. It's a strange serial number, so strange that I wouldn't rule out the possibility that it's a typo; I have at least two machines with serial numbers that were screwed up when they engraved into the frame, so it is a viable explanation.