My biggest miss was an Olivetti M20, which I let go for the damnest, smallest bet in the auction. Just 5€ more and I would´ve been mine, but somehow I let it go.

That plagued me for a while, but at the same time I learned a good lesson: If a typewriter goes, another one will come. I missed that working M20, yes, but its place was then occupied by a Fox 23. I couldn´t afford both so in a sense one opened the way for the other.

Which one is better? I can´t say, because Fox typewriters are definitely scarce in Spain (and mine is working at 100%, so it´s a good reason to be happy) and the M20 is only slightly more frequent than it, and that machine (not to mention the M1, my ultimate goal) hits me right on the feels.

As for direct misses on flea markets, I don´t have that problem. No flea markets in Spain, which is a way bigger, fatter, enormouser problem.

Sometimes I still think about how stupidly did I let that M20 go, though...

The only one that comes to mind is a splendid 33 in cursive. A nice white one with maroon keys. My bid fell short by about $20. I know they are rare and it was a bit frustrating.

However, as Javi pointed out, it seemed to pave the way for another opportunity. It has been a couple months, but just a few days ago I came across an Olympia SF. I didn't even know it was a cursive model until I showed up. And it was only about half as much $$ as what the aforementioned splendid sold for. I believe the SF was in better condition as well, mechanically and cosmetically.

If you're patient, something else WILL come along.

schyllerwade wrote:

The only one that comes to mind is a splendid 33 in cursive ... I know they are rare and it was a bit frustrating. ... It has been a couple months, but just a few days ago I came across an Olympia SF.

​The Splendid models are examples of an Olympia SF, and I wouldn't consider script fitted models to be rare, just less common than those that have the standard Olympia typefaces. The SF you did end up with, if it's the one in the Recent Acquisitions thread, is actually a SF De Luxe. It's important to describe it as a De Luxe because it is quite different from a SF as it was the only SF-based model to have the more modern case design.   

Javi wrote:

As for direct misses on flea markets, I don´t have that problem. No flea markets in Spain, which is a way bigger, fatter, enormouser problem.​

​I've been to a flea market in Spain! It was an outdoor antique market at the foot of La Rambla in Barcelona. Although I didn't buy a typewriter - I was there on business - I did buy a nice aircraft cockpit clock for a very fair price. I believe there was another similar market in the area, but indoors.

 

In Canada you only need to read a market's description to know what is being sold. A flea market is one full of cheap junk, while an antique market is where you can expect to find a typewriter. There's one large, indoor market just outside of the city that has a flea and an antique market under the same roof, which is a little funny because most people who go there will only stick to one of the two sides. 

beak wrote:

... you think; '3 bucks more would have done it.'  -  but no; the buyer may have gone as far as 100; who knows.

​Fully agree. Never underestimate the odds that there is someone far crazier than you out there who is willing to grossly overpay for a typewriter, either out of sheer ignorance, obscene wealth, or because the auction has become an irrational and personal competition for them.

I won an auction recently that normally I would dropped out of - long before it was over - and the only reason I kept increasing my bid was because of sheer stubbornness (and stupidity). When it was over it made me sick knowing that I had paid far too much for what I had bought. Normally I come up with a 'fair' or 'realistic' amount to pay for what's being sold, and then drop out if the bidding goes past that threshold. 

My local typewriter auction landscape has changed dramatically over the past few years. There are new collectors in my area who seem to have bottomless pockets and are more than willing to pay crazy prices for a typewriter, almost any typewriter, regardless of its condition. As a result it has become increasingly difficult to find a machine for a decent price, and that frustration was one of the reasons I got caught up in that recent auction.

​As it turned out, luck was on my side and I did alright. One machine turned out to have an interesting typeface and the other a provenance that I appreciated. But the real kicker was that I found a vintage aircraft clock in the box of ribbons that had come with the machines, which I estimate is worth about sixty percent of what I paid for the typewriters. Still, when it comes to these auctions I don't plan on losing my head again anytime soon!