Typewriter Talk / how much an IBM Selectric cost in 1961?

**Posted by Herik Beheran** 28-8-2023 18:22:32

Does anyone know how much an IBM Selectric cost in 1961, when it appeared on the market? Compared to a standard, would the price difference have been much?

**Posted by Pete E.** 30-8-2023 12:36:00

Herik,

Maybe this site will help...

https://www.ibm.com/ibm/history/exhibits/modelb/modelb_prices.html

**Posted by robmck** 30-8-2023 13:00:49

Wow. That's interesting. That means a first-year 721 Selectric sold for $4,038.39 in today's dollars - about the same price as a high end 16" MacBook Pro.

**Posted by Pete E.** 30-8-2023 13:25:20

Not much difference between a 13" standard (manual) and a 13" Selectric, either.

**Posted by Herik Beheran** 03-9-2023 19:00:17

thanks Pete E.!
I asked the question because I'm watching the series "Mad men", and in one episode, an employee steals a Selectric 1. I thought: is it realistic? Would they be so expensive that a person with a good job couldn't buy them? On the other hand, many other machines appear in the series, even in disuse, the character could have stolen another.

**Posted by Uwe** 07-9-2023 10:19:39

I wouldn't read too much into the typewriter models you see in film and television. I work with prop departments and set designers, and what they chose to use can vary greatly. Some productions are extremely concerned with historical accuracy and making sure the typewriters are representative of the time and location. However, other productions don't care at all, and the models they use are often simply chosen by their size, shape, and colour.

**Posted by MartinD** 07-9-2023 16:09:17

When I was in the Army in 1974 working in a military hospital in NJ, one evening thieves broke in the hospital and stole all the Selectrics. It was some type of inside job as the windows were all left unlocked. I was the designated Officer of the Day and it happened on my watch! I was the sole person making rounds in the whole hospital so it was easy pickings.