Prices for typewriters can vary a lot – even the prices being asked for identical models can be all over the map. Rarity, condition, and desirability are obvious factors, but the greatest influence determining a typewriter’s value is the person who is buying it.
 
From experience, I’ve found that the majority of typewriter buyers fall into one of four categories: Collectors, keychoppers, one-timers, and decor hunters.
 
Collectors are the most price-conscious group and have the best understanding of the real worth of a machine. They know the rare from the common, the importance of a machine’s condition, and for the most part are able to separate hype from reality. They are also more likely to pay the least for a machine that isn’t rare.
 
As a collector, what would I pay for a Woodstock No. 6? Providing it was in very good mechanical and physical condition, probably somewhere in the range of $50 to $80. Keep in mind that I’m in Canada and Woodstock machines are not an ultra-rare sighting (I just bought a Woodstock No. 5 that needs work for $15). On the other hand, a collector in Europe might be willing to pay more because fewer Woodstock models would be available locally.
 
Keychoppers – vile creatures who you should never sell your typewriter to – will pay as much, if not a little more than a collector. Their sole intent for buying a machine is to make a profit from butchering it, so they will weigh a machine’s cost against how much money they expect to make from its keys.
 
One-timers are those who buy typewriters either for sentimental reasons (they used to own one when they were younger), or they’re from a younger crowd who view typewriters as something foreign and are drawn by the novelty of using an antiquated machine. A few one-timers might turn into collectors, but most will only buy one machine to play with and consequently they often don’t have any idea what typewriters are worth. These buyers tend to pay more, mostly because they don’t realise that they can be bought for less. They will also be more influenced by a typer with the Woodstock’s vintage look, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you could get up to $200 from an overly-enthusiastic one-timer.
 
Decor hunters typically buy typewriters from antique shops. They don’t care about its mechanical condition, only that it looks pretty and will nicely complement the oak panelling and first editions that line the study of their multi-million dollar home. Antique dealers are in the business of flipping typewriters – buying low and selling high – and most typewriters you find in such stores are ridiculously overpriced. Your Woodstock in such a location would probably be priced between $150 and $250, and eventually would find a decor hunter willing to pay that amount.
 
As a final thought, there is something you should keep in mind concerning the high asking prices that are often found online, especially on websites such as Etsy: Most highly-priced typewriters are being sold by those who don’t know anything about typewriters, and if they manage to sell their machine, it’s to a buyer who knows even less than the seller does. These sellers often subscribe to the common fallacy that believes if something is very old it has to be worth a lot of money.
 
Hope that helps.
 
How about posting a few photos of your No. 6?

ScottLInd wrote:

do you know about what year it would have been built?

You should definitely hang onto it. Ribbon for the machine is readily available, and since it's in good mechanical condition, I would just enjoy using it. 

The No. 6 is definitely harder to find than the No. 5, I assume that’s because it wasn't produced for the same length of time, or in the same numbers. However, what has me intrigued about your machine is the distributor's sticker on the paper rest, which states that the company was located in "Manila".
 
I’m not aware of a Manila located in the U.S. (aside from the tiny town in Utah), which leads me to believe that this model was exported to the Philippines, a U.S. Territory during the time of the machine’s manufacture. If that’s true, the history of this machine must be a fascinating one. Where are you located – and where did you find the machine? I’ll bet it’s got a lot of miles under its belt.

To narrow down the year of its manufacture it might be helpful to know its serial number, which I believe is located beneath the carriage on the right/rear of the machine's chassis. Just slide the carriage all the way to the left to find it. I don’t think that the Typewriter Database has any entries for the No. 6, but I did read somewhere that they were first built in the mid-twenties, which means your typer was probably produced between 1926 and 1930. 
 

ScottLInd wrote:

The serial # is 90142. I'm in Phoenix, AZ. I acquired it at an estate auction. It was inside a box which contained an antique surveyor's transit that I bid on.  Thanks for your help

That IS very interesting. Perhaps it was owned by a surveying company, or a surveyor who worked in the Philippines? Was the transit as old as the typewriter? That's quite the treasure chest you unearthed!

As for the serial number, there wasn't a prefix in front of it? For example, mine has the prefix 'N'. Given the relatively low number - with respect to the first year the No. 6 was produced and those used for the No. 5 - my best guess would date the machine as a 1923, or maybe a 1924 model. 

Someone better versed in Woodstock history might be able to shed more light and provide a more accurate date, but I'm sure that I'm in the ballpark with this one.
 

Thanks for the info. I'm not really a collector but it's too nice a machine to part it out, but i would be willing to sell it.