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I have a L.C. Smith & Corona but I think its a flat top sterling.. does that make sense?
It is in maroon color
I have some pictures on my blog
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The button on the left is the margin-release. The button on the right is the ribbon-selector. Red, Black, Stencil.
I'm pretty sure it's a Corona *Standard*. It looks pretty neat, although maroon is not my colour.
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How much are these worth?
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How many fish in the sea? It's almost impossible to say. If that typewriter were in Australia, you'd have ridiculous idiots asking $500 for it on eBay. If it was in America, you could probably sell it for $70.00. Value varies WILDLY depending on condition, geographic location, and who is trying to sell it, or buy it. I've seen vintage typewriters sell for $20, I've seen them with prices of $700 (not kidding).
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Arrggghh. I got ripped! I paid $200. And it could use a good cleaning!
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abstractsbybrian wrote:
Arrggghh. I got ripped! I paid $200. And it could use a good cleaning!
I don't agree that you were ripped, because you paid what it was worth to you at the time - and (IMO) that means it was a fair price. If I had had my heart set on it at the same time, I'd have paid 250. Everything second-hand is worth exactly the amount that someone else is willing to pay.
Looks like a nice machine to me, and that colour is very much sought-after. This can only go up in value as time goes on, if well cared for. If you like the machine, you did OK!
Last edited by beak (24-7-2013 02:34:49)
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With a quick look from the Typewriter Serial Number Database the name your machine responds to would appear to be Corona Sterling and it's year of birth seems be 1934.
That's a really beautiful typewriter. It has some of the charm and elegancy I have previously seen only on some desktop models.
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Thanks, I do feel a bit better.. I have to say at the moment.. I was pretty excited.. it was listed on Ebay for $300 OBO.. so I came in real low at $100 which the seller countered at $200 and I took it! So I was glad about that.. furthermore I did a little more research last night and a lot of them were $275-350 ish and a few at $500-700
so... overall not bad.. I love the color and the look.. so it's a keeper
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Typewriters that are finished in colours other than black and drab greys always command a higher price, so you would expect to pay more for a red Sterling of that vintage over a black one.
Given your location, I think you paid too much for the machine, but it doesn't matter as long as you learned something from the experience. As a new collector you will need some time to figure out the entire pricing thing, but before very long you'll know what constitutes a good deal and which machines are way overpriced.
Most machines - the common models produced between the 1920s and 1970s - can be bought for under $50. To give you an idea, the average price I paid for each machine in my modest collection of 70 typers was $30.
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It's certainly a beautiful typewriter. For that price, I think you did well.