Typewriters

About Antique Typewriters

Typewriters became popular as a labor saving device in the late 1800's, and today, familiar names like Royal, Olympia, Underwood, Smith Corona, and Remington conjure images of 20th Century detective novels and smoky newsrooms.

Antique and vintage typewriters can also be very collectible, especially pre-WW2 models. But values vary widely, so do your homework before buying...

Many experimental typewriters were built and used during the first 75 years of the nineteenth century. But none were produced in quantity until Christopher Sholes, an American printer living in Milwaukee, came up with a successful design incorporating the “Qwerty” keyboard in 1874. He contracted with Remington to produce 1,000 of them that year, under the name Sholes & Glidden.

But that was not the end of experimentation in typewriter design, as hundreds of companies and individuals subsequently got into the business.

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Interviews & Articles

An Interview With Antique and Vintage Typewriter Collector Richard Polt

I started to get interested in typewriters around age 12. My dad and I stopped at a garage sale and he bought me th… [more]

Guest Column: Collecting Early Typewriters of the Late 1800s

Collecting antique typewriters circa 1900 has been a wonderful experience for me over the years. My collection is r… [more]



Best of the Web (“Hall of Fame”)

The Classic Typewriter Page

The Classic Typewriter Page

Richard Polt's celebration of the typewriter. Clean as a white sheet of bond paper, with stunning images, the site … [read review or visit site]

The Martin Howard Collection

The Martin Howard Collection

Martin Howard's crisp, visually stunning collection of early vintage typewriters and related accessories like ribbo… [read review or visit site]

Typewriters by Will Davis

Typewriters by Will Davis

Will Davis' impressive collection of microsites on antique typewriters includes in-depth information on portables, … [read review or visit site]

Virtual Typewriter Museum

Virtual Typewriter Museum

This comprehensive site, a group effort, features a huge and beautiful collection browsable by brand and era, plus … [read review or visit site]

Typewriter.be

Typewriter.be

For a whimsical and highly visual take on antique typewriters, check out this site. Wim Van Rompuy and Guy Pérard … [read review or visit site]

Early Office Museum

Early Office Museum

This site showcases pre-1920 office antiques, including paperweights, writing ink, paper fasteners, seal pressers, … [read review or visit site]


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Discussion Forums: Typewriters


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Top eBay Auctions  Help | Get weekly Typewriters email

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Vintage "champion - Peoples" Typewriter 1898$799.00 Ends Sunday 13 bids 47 watchers
Very Nice The Franklin Typewriter Wooden Base And Cover$512.00 Ends Monday 6 bids 46 watchers
Rare Unmarked Blickensderfer Typewriter Military Wwi$405.00 Ends Saturday 6 bids 54 watchers
Densmore Typewriter 1891 Second Typewriter Invented$304.99 Ends Sunday 2 bids 21 watchers
Rare Antique Lambert No. 1 Index Typewriter No Reserve$227.50 Ends Sunday 15 bids 48 watchers
Antique Hammond Typewriter Ideal Case & Paperwork$204.49 Ends Sunday 7 bids 47 watchers
Antique Odell's #2 Number 2 Index Typewriter Cast Iron$192.50 Ends Friday 9 bids 53 watchers
People's Typewriter #5950, Garvin Machine Co. Usa 1891$167.50 Ends Sunday 7 bids 56 watchers
Old Typewriter No. 5 Blickensderfer Stamford Conn 1893$165.00 Ends Friday 13 bids 41 watchers
Antique 1889 Smith Premier 1 Ornate Cast Typewriter$120.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 24 watchers
Rare! Hebrew Keypad Remington Rand 1950's Typewriter $120.00 Ends in 16 hours 2 bids 5 watchers
Rare Antique Blickensderfer No. 7 Typewriter~nice~nr!$103.53 Ends Sunday 8 bids 43 watchers
Pink Royal Quiet De Luxe Deluxe Typewriter W/ Case Cool$102.50 Ends Friday 6 bids 27 watchers
Early Sun Typewriter$99.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 17 watchers
Antique Beautiful Underwood Gold & Black Typewriter$99.00 Ends Monday 1 bid 6 watchers
Typewriter A Rare Aeg Mignon " Wunderfull Condition "$99.00 Ends Sunday 1 bid 19 watchers
Retro Olivetti Valentine Typewriter Ettore Sottsass$94.84 Ends Monday 11 bids 30 watchers
Antique Typewriter Royal # 5$78.00 Ends in 1 hour 7 bids 22 watchers
Antique Russian Cyrillic Typewriter Mercedes Superba$66.00 Ends Friday 3 bids 18 watchers
Underwood Art Deco Manual Portable Typewriter 2 Tone$66.00 Ends Sunday 22 bids 13 watchers
Antique Blickensderfer ~blick~ Featherweight Typewriter$61.00 Ends Saturday 6 bids 33 watchers
Hermes 3000 Portable Typewriter, Types In Cursive$59.99 Ends Saturday 1 bid 15 watchers
Vintage Remington Portable Typewriter No.3 Circa 1930$56.75 Ends Saturday 5 bids 14 watchers
Oliver Printype Typewriter No 9 Standard Visible Writer$53.00 Ends Sunday 4 bids 12 watchers
Vintage Corona Sterling Red Maroon Typewriter 1930s$49.99 Ends Saturday 1 bid 21 watchers
Vintage Hermes 3000 Portable Typewriter$49.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 6 watchers
Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter, With Case$48.00 Ends in 1 hour 1 bid 9 watchers
Very Early Blick Featherweight Typewriter+original Case$47.42 Ends Sunday 5 bids 24 watchers
Corona Standard Typewriter. (1930's ?)$46.00 Ends Saturday 3 bids 2 watchers
Typewriter Ribbon Tin--rare & Attractive Clipper, Ship$44.99 Ends Saturday 1 bid 2 watchers
Smith Corona Coronet 10 Electric Typewriter Script 6se$43.02 Ends in 22 mins 9 bids 2 watchers
Brother Wp - 1700mds Word Processor Typewriter$42.21 Ends Sunday 9 bids 2 watchers
Smith Corona Sterling Portable Typewriter No Reserve$41.08 Ends Sunday 7 bids 11 watchers
Vintage Corona Silent Manual Portable Typewriter Nice$41.00 Ends Monday 4 bids 13 watchers
Antique/vintage Bing Typewriter$41.00 Ends in 1 hour 10 bids 18 watchers
1930s? Underwood Universal Portable Typewriter Fine Con$40.00 Ends in 18 hours 7 bids 5 watchers
Lovely Vintage Royal No 5 Typewriter - Circa 1912$39.99 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 4 watchers
1947 Royal Quiet Deluxe Manual Portable Typewriter Mint$39.95 Ends Saturday 1 bid 7 watchers
Vintage Olivetti Lettera 31 Manual Typewriter Nice!!$39.95 Ends Saturday 2 bids 2 watchers
45 Antique Vintage White Flat Remington Typewriter Keys$33.76 Ends Monday 6 bids 17 watchers
1950's Smith Corona Super Silent Typewriter Super Clean$31.00 Ends Sunday 9 bids 34 watchers
Nu-kote B184 Typewriter Ribbon For Xerox 6010 6015 6020$31.00 Ends Saturday 7 bids 3 watchers
Vintage Olympia Portable Typewriter Blue$31.00 Ends Saturday 4 bids 30 watchers
Corona Standard Typewriter 1940's Vintage Portable$31.00 Ends Saturday 4 bids 2 watchers
Vintage Remington Standard Typewriter (no. 7)$30.99 Ends Monday 2 bids 15 watchers
Vintage~ Royal Signet ~portable Typewriter$30.59 Ends Thursday 3 bids 5 watchers
Vintage Underwood Olivetti Manual Typewriter W/case $29.99 Ends in 17 hours 1 bid 7 watchers
Antique Symplex #150 Tin Indicator Typewriter Working$29.00 Ends in 1 hour 7 bids 5 watchers
Royal No. 10 Typewriter - Manual - Usa - Antique$29.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 4 watchers
Antique Royal De Luxe Portable Typewriter No Reserve$27.99 Ends Sunday 5 bids 17 watchers
Vintage Corona 4 Four Typewriter W/case Works Perf$26.00 Ends Friday 4 bids 9 watchers
1940's Remington 5 Portable Streamline Typewriter Wwii$26.00 Ends in 1 hour 2 bids 10 watchers
Vintage Royal O-model Portable Typewriter W/case$25.00 Ends Sunday 2 bids 27 watchers
Super,lime,green,wards,escort 33, Portable,typewriter$24.99 Ends Monday 1 bid 10 watchers

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Recent News: Typewriters

Source: Google News

Poetic Home's New Classifieds Features Vintage Furniture and Library Card ...
I-Newswire.com (press release), March 18th

Aficionados of library card catalogs, mid-century modern furniture, repurposed furniture, and vintage typewriters find their fix at Poetic Home's...Read more

1940s comedy is theme of school play
Indianapolis Star, March 18th

an upstairs room as well as a host of 1940s memorabilia including hat stand, old manual typewriter, telephone and quaint antique furniture, Kurtz said...Read more

Mission Accomplished: Tag Collective @ RISC
Get Bracknell, March 18th

The taping sounds of the typewriter could be heard as people's memories were being noted. Many recollections were being triggered by the memories already...Read more

Grande resort opens in Canmore
Calgary Herald, March 18th

About $2.5 million has been spent remodelling the space to provide a cosy Canadian atmosphere using dark woods and antique Canadian bric-a-brac...Read more

Antique tin collection for sale at DeWitt Mall
Ithaca Journal, March 17th

There are tins for virtually every consumer product you can think of, from typewriter ribbon to garlic tablets, hair slick dressing, and strange products...Read more

Poetic Home Inspires with Repurposed Furniture and Vintage
I-Newswire.com (press release), March 13th

Antique library card catalog cabinets transform into bookcases, cocktail bars, and diaper changing stations, while castoff old ladders turn into bookshelves...Read more

Vintage Typewriter Keyboard Stickers for Nostalgic Geeks!
Walyou (blog), February 26th

For nostalgic geeks who have not forgotten humble roots Vintage Typewriter Keyboard Stickers will give their keyboard a right kind of retro look...Read more

Retro Chic: 13 Gorgeous Vintage Typewriters
GeekSugar.com (blog), February 19th

In homage to one of my favorite retro gadgets, check out this gallery of beautiful vintage typewriter photos. Are you a fan of vintage and retro gadgets?...Read more

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