M. Höhne wrote:

Jim, the importer supplying the power cord makes sense, except for the socket; Olivetti wouldn't change that just for the market and if they did, they might as well throw in the cord. Maybe it varied by year or some production requirement, like availability or price. Also, the cord exiting straight out obviates the need for the clever draping, but forgoes the space advantage of the 90-degree plug. Oh, the poor unfortunate completist collectors.

I wasn't  suggesting that Olivetti changed the socket on the typewriter just for export models.  They changed the socket for ALL models, as the typewriter above is a newer iteration of the same design.

The IEC socket (on the typewriter above, in this thread) is the "newer" standard.  The socket on YOUR typewriter is an older standard (non-IEC), but could still be supplied in the same manner. 

As I said, the practice of adding the cord by the importer was often done, but by no means always.  I have no idea what Olivetti's practice was.  In any case, the version that you own is certainly a clever design.  The same cannot be done with the later IEC version that the whole world seems to have settled on.  You can buy a generic 90-degree IEC cord that exits to the left or right, but not both in one cord (by simply flipping it over).

This has probably gone woefully past the stage of TMI for most.  Bottom line is that Olivetti had an elegant and clever design - and then later decided to follow the rest of the world by implementing a generic (and uninteresting) "standard".  The only saving grace is that, with the newer one, if you ever lose or damage the cord, you can buy a replacement just about anywhere for a buck or two.

 

Based on the serial number of my machine (SN-641262) and that of Michael's machine (SN-561161)...maybe we can surmise that the cord/socket change happened sometime in 1981.

Pete E. wrote:

Based on the serial number of my machine (SN-641262) and that of Michael's machine (SN-561161)...maybe we can surmise that the cord/socket change happened sometime in 1981.

That makes sense, as 1981 was also the year of the introduction of the IBM PC with its power supply using the very same IEC connector.

M. Höhne wrote:

Both my cases are molded with the note: "Case and typewriter/made in Olivetti plant Barcelona (Spain)" ... They are, of course, slightly different from each other (the cases), different latches and slightly different design of the interior shapes. 

Interesting! I'm posting a photo of my (as received) case with the GDR reference - is this at all similar to either of yours? Someone could have a lot of fun matching serial number ranges and the models' country of origins with the cases that were used.

Case identification is a useful skill when you're power-hunting typewriters in large antique centers. I used to be quite good at it, but since my interest in typewriters has waned over the years, I'm beginning to forget which cases went with which manufacturers and models.

Case exterior view...
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