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31-3-2013 14:30:37  #1


Mystery Typewriter Thread

I thought that I'd create a thread where we could all dump typewriters we've come across but couldn't identify, and wanted to see if someone else knew something about it.

I'll start:
I came across an ad yesterday for this machine. No description, just an unrealistic asking price ($200 CAD!). I'm intrigued by the machine, but only because I don't know what it is. I've sent the seller a request for more information, but in the meantime no amount of searching on the internet has helped me so far to identify its manufacturer.

The photo is blurry, but it looks like the name on the paper table appears to be "Monitor". Very strange; I've never heard of a brand or model called Monitor. Any ideas?


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

31-3-2013 15:09:57  #2


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

Perhaps it's the 'own brand' typewriter of a large store chain.

 

31-3-2013 17:52:01  #3


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

Stevetype33 wrote:

Perhaps it's the 'own brand' typewriter of a large store chain.

I certainly do see an number of private label machines in my area such as Eaton's, Simpson's, Sear's, and even Viking, but there's never been a chain store, at least not in my area, called Monitor.

However, if that is the case, then the shape of the typewriter shoud be familiar to someone who knows the original make and model. The shape of its ribbon cover is very distinctive.
 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
     Thread Starter
 

31-3-2013 18:26:30  #4


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

In the same vein, I've seen some Harrods typewriters for sale, but an 'own brand' wouldn't necessarily have to have the same name as the store.

I wonder what shade of brown you'd call that...

 

31-3-2013 19:02:56  #5


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

Stevetype33 wrote:

I wonder what shade of brown you'd call that...

Given the quality of the photo I doubt whoever took it had the camera's white balance correctly set. Take a look at the ribbon; does the red portion of it look like it should to you? The photo of the mystery machine is a poor representative of colour, so who knows what that machine's paint actually looks like in person.
 


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
     Thread Starter
 

01-4-2013 03:05:17  #6


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

I'm colour blind and have a problem with reds and browns, so I can't comment on the ribbon.

I know what you mean about the colour in photos. There have been a few occasions where I've had to contact a seller to confirm if something is green or gray, or blue or black!

 

01-4-2013 12:30:32  #7


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

I received an email from the seller this morning and thought that I would finally get to the bottom of this. Not so. In response to my request for as much detail as possible, the seller replied: "It is a monitor"

There was nothing else. Not even a period to end the pathetically unhelpful statement. And yet, somehow, it's been valued at $200. Based on what? I want that typewriter, for no other reason than to tear it apart and figure out what it really is, but I already know it won't happen; it's highly unlikely that she'll respond well to my generous offer of $35.

So for now the Monitor typewriter remains a mystery - to me at least.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
     Thread Starter
 

01-4-2013 14:01:26  #8


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

Wow. A $165 dollar drop. I think I'll hear the howls from here.

$35 is a little too generous in my opinion. I might have accepted $10 to take it off her hands.

I'll keep an eye-out for Monitors and let you know if I dig up anything. I'm intrigued.

 

01-4-2013 16:42:50  #9


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

I think that I've figured it out, which means I'm pretty sure it's '50s era British Oliver, possibly one of those copies of a Siemag, the German-designed models that they were producing at the time.

At first I thought it must have ended up in Canada packed with the possession of a British immigrant to the country, but it's keyboard suggests otherwise. You can see that it has the symbol for the dollar (and cents), including that for the British pound, so I guess they built this model to cover many markets and it might have actually been bought in Canada.

Based on this guesswork I raised my offer to $50, which predictably has been met with silence. It would be a novelty in my collection, but nothing more, and I'm quite leary of the treatment it's received; take a look at that jumble of keys all mashed together in the type guide.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
     Thread Starter
 

01-4-2013 17:41:49  #10


Re: Mystery Typewriter Thread

I was also struck by the tangle of keys. Why would anyone not fix that before taking a photo?

 

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