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23-1-2022 18:35:23  #1


Knowing a typewriter's history is very cool

I bought a clean 1958 Remington Quiet Riter from the owner who purchased it new. He was kind enough to share the history with me:
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=14pxThank you for the kind message .... I am pleased to know the typewriter will be going to a thoughtful person. A bit more of the history ... finished college in 1960 with degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Hampshire. I learned to type two hands while in the army. I was a "spook" in the Cold War monitoring Chinese military communications from the island of Okinawa. Dwight D Eisenhower was my Cin C - I'm happy to say. Again, thank you for buying it .... I cannot remember not having it around.=14px<<
________
Knowing the history is just great and I'll display it with his letter (typed by me) in the Quiet Riter. I would be interested in any history stories about your machines. 


 


- Be kind 
 

23-1-2022 20:21:18  #2


Re: Knowing a typewriter's history is very cool

I love knowing about a machine...especially those 1-owner machines.

I bought this one from the surviving daughter of the original owner.  It is a 1960 AMC (re-badge of the Alpina).

He passed away in 2012 and she needed 7-8 years before she was ready to let it go.  It sat in a closet for those interim years.

The original owner had purchased this machine for himself as a senior in high school in 1960-61.  It followed him to college and then to the seminary where he became a priest.  And he used it all of his life for Church work and home use.

He had written his name inside the case and on masking tape along several sections of the typewriter's interior.

He typed on it every day of his life and had it serviced regularly and he treated it like a jewel.

The case did its job and protected the case.  It was torn in several places and the hardware was somewhat corroded.  I repaired the case and gave it a new paint job.

Daughter told me he used it up to the last 1-2 years of his life.

I hunted around and even found a photo of the young man as a senior in high school...at the time in 1960-61 when he bought the machine brand new.

His Church is still thriving and they had a large Memorial upon his passing in 2012 that made the local newspapers in his home town.

His daughter was thrilled to know the machine went to a good home in which it will be used and cared for.

I have gathered this documentation and it is in an envelop in the typewriter case.  And with my personal info. as the machine's 2nd. owner.
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23-1-2022 20:23:29  #3


Re: Knowing a typewriter's history is very cool

Sorry...forgot to post....the "before" photo of the typewriter case before my rework. 
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23-1-2022 20:40:30  #4


Re: Knowing a typewriter's history is very cool

That's a great story Pete. That typewriter still carries a bit of his spirit. 


- Be kind 
     Thread Starter
 

24-1-2022 12:27:57  #5


Re: Knowing a typewriter's history is very cool

Pete E. wrote:

... I have gathered this documentation and it is in an envelop in the typewriter case.  And with my personal info. as the machine's 2nd. owner. ....

That's very commendable, Pete. It's something I wish everyone would do. Of the few machines I've sold, not one buyer showed any interest in the history of what they were buying.

I used to always ask seller's if they had any information concerning the typewriter's history; most often this just resulted in a shoulder shrug, but once in a while it would yield fantastic details. One woman in particular spoke to me for around two hours about her father and his use of the typewriter I had just bought. I took notes during the conversation and a transcription of its history will be a part of the machine when it's eventually passed on. 


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

01-2-2022 00:30:25  #6


Re: Knowing a typewriter's history is very cool

I've heard some amazing stories over the years.  It truly goes to show how much these machines mean to some people.  I had a client who needed an overhaul on a machine he used daily for 40 years.

Heard one a bit ago about a man whose father worked for smith Corona.  They'd stick surplus parts in storage, so one day he asked his boss a question.  If he were to assemble a typewriter from those extra parts, could he take it home.  His boss said yes, and he did just that.  He built his own typewriter and gave it to his wife.


Typewriter Service Tech (and avid nerd)
 

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