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Can't seem to find much info on the Sears Tower Citation 88 except for an old Sears catalog listing. Does anybody have know of a good review. I've been told that Smith Corona made these for Sears, does anyone know the equivalent Smith Corona model?
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The machine seems to be identical to my Sears Celebrity, but I think the Citation 88 is a bit of a misnomer. Like the Citation, it has 44 keys, but it only types 86 unique characters. Of the photos I've seen of the 88 it appears that the period (.) and comma (,) characters are repeated as they are on the Citation. Maybe the machine was marketed toward piano enthusiasts?
Regardless, the Citation 88 was most definitely made by Smith-Corona. If I had to pick a comparable Smith-Corona model - based on its features - I'd say that the Galaxie is a close match; however, you have to keep in mind that the Tower was a private label machine and that certain design elements were altered by Smith-Corona to distinguish the Tower from its own models. In other words, the Citation and Galaxie might not look identical, but nearly all of their mechanical components will be.
I'm not sure what you wanted to read in a review, but those 6-series Smith-Corona designs were very good typewriters and I doubt too many buyers today would complain about their performance after using one that was in good condition.
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Thank you for the info, I will research the Celebrity and the Galaxie but you answered my concern with your last sentence. All I really wanted to know is if the Citation 88 was a worthwhile machine, I have the opportunity to pick one up that is in very good condition considering it is 60 years old.
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It was probably built during the early '60s, so it's not quite old enough to be a sexagenarian. Given your location I wouldn't pay more than $30-$40 for a working, intact example of that particular model.