1 of 1- Lipster
- New Member
Offline - From: Minnesota
- Registered: 02-2-2018
- Posts: 13
Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
I see a pretty nice Olympia SM9 with case for sale, and it has what I believe is a German Keyboard. It is a QWERTZ layout with Umlaut O and Umlaut A to the right of the L key, as well as some other differences in punctuation keys.
If I were to buy it and keep it for a year or so, does that keyboard make it harder or easier to sell here in the US?
I'm pretty sure it is German, as the current owner's wife is German and he says the typewriter came over with his wife.
Thanks for advice.
- skywatcher
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- From: The Prairies of Alberta
- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
Hi Lipster
The SM-9 is a tried and trusted machine with an excellent track record. As for the value of the machine, it's worth exactly what the buyer is willing to pay. If you manage to find a university hipster of German extraction, the unit may be more value to him or her, than the average typewriter collector or someone who just wants to dabble a little in retro technology. Hope this helps and all the best,
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
- Fleetwing
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Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
I would love a German keyboard machine of any kind -- an SM9 would be great. (This assumes it's working properly of course.) But I don't think I'd be interested in getting a machine shipped, both from a cost and potential damage standpoint. But others may not be so reluctant -- and if you're near a college, there might well be a German professor or student who'd be interested.
- Lipster
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- From: Minnesota
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- Posts: 13
Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
Fleetwing, here is the CL listing:
I am out of town till Thursday night, but if you want it, let me know.
It is not that far away and I would be willing to buy it and ship it to you at actual cost, whatever that might be.
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Thread Starter- Fleetwing
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Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
Thanks, that's most generous. Tell you what, let me know if it doesn't sell locally after a while. But I am very leery of shipping typewriters (or rather, receiving shipped typewriters, based on horror stories I've read on this forum).
- Lipster
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- From: Minnesota
- Registered: 02-2-2018
- Posts: 13
Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
I hear ya! Long ways from Minneapolis area to Hartford...
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Thread Starter- Fleetwing
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- Registered: 30-6-2015
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Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
Now, if you're planning a road trip back East....
- skywatcher
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- Registered: 14-3-2013
- Posts: 737
Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
Hi Lipster & Fleetwing
For shipping typewriters within the US, In my experience Fed-Ex Ground Home Delivery seem to have the best track record for handling packages gently. USPS is the worst for rough handling, but UPS is better than the postal service. Pack the typewriter solidly in its case, then pack the case securely in a sturdy box. Download, print off and apply a few of the "Fragile Instruments Handle With Great Care" labels and you'll have a pretty good chance of a successful journey. All the best,
Sky
We humans go through many computers in our lives, but in their lives, typewriters go through many of us.
In that way, they’re like violins, like ancestral swords. So I use mine with honor and treat them with respect.
I try to leave them in better condition than I met them. I am not their first user, nor will I be their last.
Frederic S. Durbin. (Typewriter mania and the modern writer)
- That Dick in Hood River
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- Registered: 15-12-2017
- Posts: 18
Re: Olympia SM9 with German Keyboard
I've found, as a buyer, DHL and Deutsche Poste are good, Polska Poste is slow, and Czecha Posta is good.
I have an Olympia SM9 with a qwerty keyboard I got here in the States. It is not my usual subcompact portable. I got it because it is the inspiration for the series of paintings in the book The Story of my Typewriter.
