I pulled this circa 1917 Noiseless out of the musty basement of an estate sale in Edison, NJ. I usually prefer to post pics after I get them all cleaned up, but that might take a while on this one, as it is pretty gummed up at the moment. 

This open, straight-keyboard Hammond Multiplex came to me from Detroit, by way of a hockey friend from Iowa who went to catch the last Red Wings game at Joe Louis Arena, who dropped it off with my parents, who then later drove it out here to the Philadelphia suburbs. I absolutely love it. 

It came in the original, curved-wood case, with the original tools, manuals, catalog for the hundreds of different typeface shuttles, as well as a couple of extra shuttles to boot. It has four altogether: a medium Roman, small Roman, a vertical script (cursive--so a woman can write on a typewriter "without losing her individuality," as I read in a Hammond ad in Ladies Home Journal in the 1910s), and a caps/small caps shuttle, which is my favorite. Incidentally, does anyone know where to find Hammond shuttles for sale? I'd love to track down some of the foreign-language shuttles for use, and internet searches turn-up nothing. 

Javi-
 I am really impressed with the typing action, yes.  The only other machines I can compare it to is the rocket I have with the Hebrew keyboard, and the Montana Luxe I guess.  It feels about the same as my Hebrew model, but I can tell that it's a lot smoother if only because it was better maintained or cared for, for the Hebrew model was kind of abandoned.  

Comparing it to the Montana Luxe, it's a lot different. I can return the carriage with the lever and not have to worry about the whole machine moving, and it just seems blazingly fast to me.  I will say I definitely prefer the one piece snap-on ribbon cover to the two hinged pieces. 

 

Very cool. I have to say, I think that the vertical script on the Hammond looks amazing!

Uwe wrote:

Fantastic stuff! I'm not normally into non-standard machines, but I would jump at a Hammond like yours if it had the right type shuttle(s). Congrats, and enjoy!

I agree with Uwe -- a great acquisition. Of course, I'm dying to know what you paid, but that's impolite! Enjoy it!