Typewriter Talk / The Mysterious Olympia Monica

**Posted by beak** 26-4-2014 23:52:03

After some time searching, I can find little about the Olympia MONICA.

SInce there seem to be dozens of them for sale locally, I would like to know where this model stands in terms of quality and feartures in relation to the better known SM3 and SM4 etc., which it seems to resemble.

Can anyone pitch the Monica for me in terms of quality and features?
Thanks.

**Posted by Uwe** 27-4-2014 18:49:06

I have a few later-model Monica machines, which are bare-bones versions of the SM9. And while they might not have some of the bells and whistles of the SM9, their typing performance is very much on par with them, which means they are excellent machines for pumping out copy with.

**Posted by Pete E.** 02-12-2023 21:45:49

Bringing up an old thread about Olympia "Monica" typewriters.

Another machine was made in the UK in the late 1970s.

Totally different machine than the SM9 based Monicas...but the UK machine is very, very good in its own right. It does have all plastic body cowlings...but a solid, precise machine underneath.

I went for a Monica S...as it has manually set Tab stops along its back panel.

There was also a UK-made Monica Deluxe...with a Tab set/clear lever on the left side of the key board.
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**Posted by thetypewriterman** 03-12-2023 04:19:49

Yes, the 'plastic' Monica was Olympia's last throw of the dice. I believe that it was assembled in a factory in Ireland (never found out exactly where) that was formerly assembling Olympia mechanical adding machines. Largely the 'works' of the SM 8/9 but cheapened with a lot of plastic parts and an inferior linespace mechanism. Since the SM8/9 had been discontinued at that stage, Monicas with tabulators could then produced without jeopardising sales of more expensive machines in the range. It was still streets ahead of the competition at the time, which would have probably consisted of the Silver-Reed 500 and Nakajima Olympia Carina to name a couple.

**Posted by Pete E.** 03-12-2023 10:05:46

Weight comparison (without lid or case weight) =

My 1968 SM9 weighs in at 15.9 lbs.

My 1977 UK-made Monica S weighs in at 14.8 lbs.
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**Posted by Pete E.** 03-12-2023 20:28:17

Hi Tom,

Thanks for your inputs. There was also an electric version of the UK-made Monica...but I find those with the UK power requirements...so have not had a chance to get one in my hands here in the State.

BTW... There was also a "Monica" version of the SM5 that had lost the manually-set Tabulator functions of the SM5.

If you are familiar with those, do you know if it still retained in touch-control feature under the ribbon cover ?
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**Posted by thetypewriterman** 04-12-2023 04:05:47

Dear Pete, It is a long time since I have seen an SM5-style Monica so cannot give a definitive answer. My educated guess is that there wasn't a touch control since it was the 'stripped out' version. You see the same approach in the Olympia Splendid 33. You only got a touch control with the Splendid 66, 99 and SF DeLuxe.

**Posted by Pete E.** 04-12-2023 09:20:59

I took some time to open up all the photo galleries on the TWDB for the SM5-version of the Monica typewriters and found this one photo which shows a small lever under the right-side of the ribbon cover which has a " + " stamped onto the lever (...circled in red in the photo...).
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**Posted by Pete E.** 04-12-2023 11:24:41

I have played around with this one photo...and I think I am incorrect in seeing a touch-control lever.

Since this "Monica" is basically a SM5 without a Tabulator function...I looked at several SM5 photos and that model appears to have dropped the touch-control of the SM3/SM4.

So I think the SM6-Monica does not have the touch-control feature, after all...
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**Posted by Uwe** 04-12-2023 12:25:58

Correct, it isn't a touch-control lever.
The part that you have circled in the photo is actually covered when a ribbon spool is in place, which would be a poor spot for any adjustment lever (see photos).

For reference:
SM-4

1962 SM-5

1962 SM-Monica

SM-7