kpropaganda wrote:

So far, I thought the Traveller was licenced to Yugoslavia to serve the eastern European market.

Yugoslavian-made Olympias were sold internationally. It's an extremely popular practice today, but I believe that it was a cost savings measure to have the machines produced outside of Germany.

kpropaganda wrote:

The serial number of that white Traveller is 15-5571311, my two UNIS machines are and 15-6072031 and 15-4501540. The database listing for SFs ends in 1979 at 4346502. Am I right to assume that the 15 stands for production at TBM in Sarajevo? My Wilhelmshaven-made Splendid and SF have a leading 95. Should I assume these three machines were all build after SF production in Wilhemshaven was finished? I previously had another UNIS with a significantly lower, six digit serial no that would have fitted in the SF scheme.

If I understand you correctly, you're wondering if the prefix number is a factory code, more specifically, the 15- prefix was used for Yugoslavian machines. I like the theory, and it's something that I've wondered about myself. However, looking at my own database, it lists one Traveller with a 15- prefix that was manufactured in Wilhelmshaven, which incidentally is a newer machine than the two Yugoslavian models I own. I think that it would be worth finding that particular typewriter to confirm that I didn't make a mistake when I entered its information into my database.

I've also noted that other SF-based models in my collection use a prefix other than 95- and 15-. An early SF and a Splendid 66 both have a 5- prefix.


 

You're right, it is interesting.

Those prefixes have bothered me for the longest time as such numbers typically have a relevant meaning. On some makes they are used to indicate the platen size, on others, like with IBM, it was a factory code. I've haven't bothered - yet - to dive into this with Olympia machines, mostly because I'm always preoccupied researching other mysteries that I've come across. I'm sure that someone else has already figured all of this out, but in the meantime I'll have to look over my Traveller models again and verify what I claimed in my previous post. I know that I've noticed them before, but where is the TBM stamping in the machine?

Robert Messenger has some useful information on the Unis on his website, but I disagree with some of his comments later in the post regarding the Olivetti and Nakajima Olympia.

thetypewriterman wrote:

For the UK market , UNIS-made Travellers (branded as Olympia) have the metal plate missing on the back - just the two empty rivet holes.

I have three UNIS-made made machines, and the two earlier ones, 1977 models, have the plate riveted to the back whereas the later one, an early '80s model, doesn't.


That's interesting information concerning the date stampings and will give me something else to look for when I start digging out my Travellers. I agree that using such markings to date a machine can be - at times - very inaccurate. This is especially true for situations in which the travel case was manufactured by another company and supplied to the manufacturer in bulk. Then again I've seen too many "collectors" apply manufacture dates to machines based on even sketchier information...