I agree with Retro, you will probably have better luck trying to sell it to a nazi collector than a typewriter collector.

Retro-Z wrote:

Interestingly, most of these "SS" typewriters likely never belonged to any SS military unit.

Could you point me toward your source for this information? I've yet to come across any documented explanation of how typewriters were distributed within the German military and your statement is counterintuitive when you examine typed documents from the period. The SS would have had far more use for such a keyset than any other military branch, which is why more often than not you see the runes on documents originating from the SS, and just a double S on those from other military branches.

Uwe wrote:

The word "Nazi" is itself ridiculously generic and a grossly misused term. Less than 7 percent of the German population were actually members of the Nazi party. The various branches of the German military were not part of the Nazi regime, just controlled by them. I think most collectors of war memorabilia are interested in military items, and not actual Nazi party paraphernalia.   

This is true, and often not considered when people label all Germans during WWII as Nazis. However, I have come to accept that most people mean "WW2 era German" when they say "nazi". Not accurate, but I understand what they are trying to say. Sometimes when you correct every single little historical error someone makes, you can come across as a pompous "know-it-all", and I'm too laid-back to waste the time anyway. LOL. 

Uwe wrote:

 Could you point me toward your source for this information? I've yet to come across any documented explanation of how typewriters were distributed within the German military and your statement is counterintuitive when you examine typed documents from the period. The SS would have had far more use for such a keyset than any other military branch, which is why more often than not you see the runes on documents originating from the SS, and just a double S on those from other military branches.

Well, I'll be honest here and say that I don't have any documented source for my statement. However, I don't believe there IS any documented source to use as reference. As far as I'm aware, factory records for orders of typewriters equipped with an "SS" key do not exist for ANY company that produced them. These are just general opinons of several collectors I've talked to or have read their posts on WW2 German militaria collecting sites. Also, it involves just a bit of common sense, you know? Legit WW2 SS items are very rare and valuable, yet there are an awful lot of these "SS" typewriters running around. Face it, any government organization that would need to regularly maintain contact with SS units/groups would find the key useful. Of course SS units would have the most use for the key, but just think about it... were they REALLY the only ones with these things? I find that unlikely.

Not to impune on any possible research you may have conducted, but I question exactly how thoroughly you have examined the typewritten documents sent between ALL of the various political and military organizations of the Third Reich? Have you examined them from ALL of the different political groups and military organizations? Nonetheless, you do point out an excellent avenue for research to determine exactly where the "SS" typewriters were used, as correspondance of the era generally made sure it included the name of the organization sending the correspondance, as well as the intended recipient. With careful documentation, I don't see why we couldn't figure out just how "SS" these "SS" typewriters really are. Interesting way to prove a theory, for sure!

EDIT: Just wanted to add that there are indeed some individuals that specialize in NSDAP political items. Most people go for the military stuff, but there is a lot of political memorabilia that is highly sought after.
 

Last edited by Retro-Z (14-7-2015 09:11:36)

=10ptThe Machine is successfully sold for 750 dollars to someone from Singapore. Thanks anybody for their interest and help. 
 

Uwe wrote:

My observations are based on having always noted the sender and receiver's information, along with the type character set that was used, whenever looking at any original documents from the period. I've found, not surprisingly, more often than not it was documents that originated from an SS office that used a typeslug with the runes as opposed to documents from other sources (other military branches, sub-contractors, etc...) that were more like to contain a double S in place of the runes. 

The Olympia 8 that is the subject of this thread is a standard typewriter, an office typewriter that is not likely to have seen field use - a premise that is supported by the overall condition of the machine. Field models were more likely to be portables, and given the circumstances of their use, to have been destroyed in greater numbers.

Don't forget that there were two branches of the SS, and taking into account that the political wing would have almost exclusively used standard typewriters in its offices adds more weight to the argument that rune-fitted typewriters would have more often been requisitioned and used by those who needed them most.

I honestly don't see any logic in the idea that more typewriters with custom ordered rune slugs would have been found in the offices of other military or political branches. It wouldn't surprise me that documentation still exists that would prove this. I have seen supply documents for orders placed by the SS with other types of manufacturers, so it is possible that invoices for typewriters might still exist somewhere.

Fair enough. I always enjoy a good exchange of opinions, but in this particular case, the information isn't really available to prove either viewpoint right or wrong. LOL. In my experience with period documents, it's somewhat of a mixed bag on whether or not the SS key is used. I will guarantee you that the SS keys are not specific to SS units/organizations, as I've seen documents from other branches/groups (such as the Luftwaffe) with the "runes" present. Simply saying that there "may" be invoice documents to prove your opinion correct, well... that doesn't make your opinion correct. Also, I will disagree with you and say that most likely, information about these typewriters is likely gone for the most part. It may exist somewhere buried in some dusty archive, but good luck finding all of it.

I would bet that the "SS key" equipped typewriters were more widespread in their use than you appear to believe. It is also possible that they were more concentrated in use with the SS than I believe, but I will guarantee you that these "SS typewriters" were most certainly used by non-SS organizations. 

I'm not sure where you were going with the statement about Standards vs. Portables and the survival rate of each. Here in North America, it's hard to judge how many types of each typewriter survived, as most of the ones here are portables brought back by GIs. So it's really hard to get a good idea about survival rate, as I've never personally seen a standard office model WW2 German typewriter. Either way, there seems to be an AWFUL lot of typewriters still in existence, especially portables (which you indicate should have had a lower survival rate). I just can't believe that every single typewriter with an "SS" key here in the states was captured from an SS unit of some sort in WW2. 

You should bring your opinions up with the members of the Wehrmacht-Awards discussion forum, as many of them hold the same view as I do, and lots of them have quite a bit of experience with Third Reich documents. Granted, we could all be wrong, but isn't that the fun of a good debate?

I guess in the end, without the reference sources to really point to one or the other as being "correct", we'll just have to agree to disagree. Still, it was a nice, lively discussion. Good stuff!

Last edited by Retro-Z (14-7-2015 20:38:59)