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16-1-2022 05:04:39  #1


Unknown serial Royal Portable

Hi there!
I've bought a royal with a strange serial that I can find reference on the interwebs. The serial is CG 88-2436678. On the typewriterdatabase it seems to be a companion because of the CG prefix.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DPhI7A1NlXaQdOUjy2PN34hKiFPTT9z8/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1v8PQSZvDCWlQrXNcTuGY5c_4ChydBpNf/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1NC-f3DlBqHiu9_jyM4fO_RrkjU0jooHr/view?usp=sharing
(Sorry about the drive links, I'll have to figure out about the hotlinking of pictures)


"The typewriter is the polaroid of words"
 

16-1-2022 14:21:27  #2


Re: Unknown serial Royal Portable

I can't seem to access the Database (it could be performing maintenance at the moment), but your machine is definitely an early '50s variant. Royal, like most other manufacturers, offered many different models that looked almost identical to each other because they used the same basic design, but were tiered in their price based on the features the model included.

When trying to identify an unlabeled, lesser found model variant, I start off by writing down all of its included features. Using that list makes it easier to match it with a model that does have a model name written on it. Other clues might be found on the machine that can help to identify it. For example, does it say where it was made anywhere on it? 

I personally don't worry too much about the serial number. One reason for that is the Database is not complete. Many typewriter manufacturers had factories located in many different countries, which used serial numbers that might not be as well represented in the Database. I have a number of typewriters that have serial numbers not found in the Database, or are out of listed ranges, or don't match with listed model names.

And speaking of model names, Royal seems to have an endless number of them. Every time I think that I have a grasp of all of the variants of a particular model, I'll come across one that I've never heard of. Compounding this was the practice of the unique names given to private label models.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

18-1-2022 02:16:37  #3


Re: Unknown serial Royal Portable

It is a 1952 Royal Arrow. The C in the prefix indicates the model, G the color, and the 88 is because it is an 88 character model (as opposed to the standard 84) which is often seen on export versions with extra characters for non-English languages.

 

18-1-2022 10:57:50  #4


Re: Unknown serial Royal Portable

How did you determine that the second digit represents a colour, Souce? The only example of this that I can see in the Database is for the Quiet De Luxe, and even then G represented green, not grey, which seems to be the colour of toiga's Royal. None of the other two-letter prefix models seem to indicate a colour either.

It's very possible that I'm interpreting something incorrectly, but it seems that post-'50 Arrows were designated with the two letter prefix CG regardless of their colour.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

18-1-2022 11:52:05  #5


Re: Unknown serial Royal Portable

Uwe wrote:

How did you determine that the second digit represents a colour, Souce? The only example of this that I can see in the Database is for the Quiet De Luxe, and even then G represented green, not grey, which seems to be the colour of toiga's Royal. None of the other two-letter prefix models seem to indicate a colour either.

It's very possible that I'm interpreting something incorrectly, but it seems that post-'50 Arrows were designated with the two letter prefix CG regardless of their colour.

You are right, Uwe. My mistake. It looks like the G does not represent color and was part of the prefix for some other reason in that time frame for the Arrow (CG) and the Quiet De Luxe (AG).

 

18-1-2022 13:30:35  #6


Re: Unknown serial Royal Portable

And then there are all of those models without any prefix. 

I've always found dipping into Royal names and numbers to be a bit of a carnival ride. For example, the Database has an entry that states the "Royal trademark 'Citadel' #72151256, first used Aug 21, 1962." There are three "galleries" featuring the Citadel, and all of them are 1963 models, and yet I have a 1956 Royal Citadel sitting on the shelf.

I'm not complaining though; figuring out this stuff is a big part of the fun in collecting these machines.


The pronoun has always been capitalized in the English language for more than 700 years.
 

19-1-2022 06:30:26  #7


Re: Unknown serial Royal Portable

Hi there!
Thank you for the replies! Now to to a deep clean to remove de dust and debris from the inside and clean the keys and whiteout splatters.

I've got to say that it is delicious to write on it. Almost as good as my SM3. Just love the touch and sound of it.
 


"The typewriter is the polaroid of words"
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