Olympia typewriter

[lespaceplie]

That Olympia typewriter is a very plentiful item. There are several on eBay that are exactly right.

[Borusa]

Nice job on the foot pedal ID!

Now, how about the typewriter?  Has anyone been able to identify the specific make and model?



MOD EDIT (Added image for reference)

[Theta Sigma]

Nice job on the foot pedal ID!

Now, how about the typewriter?  Has anyone been able to identify the specific make and model?

Pretty sure that it is a vintage Olympia SM3 manual typewriter, "Sepia Brown" in color.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/43786036/vintage-olympia-sm3-manual-typewriter

[Borusa]

Nice!  It sure looks spot-on.

[type_1012_tardis]

Great find!  Even saved a copy of that auction page so that I'll still be able to view the photos once the auction ends.

[hb88banzai]

Pretty sure that it is a vintage Olympia SM3 manual typewriter, "Sepia Brown" in color.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/43786036/vintage-olympia-sm3-manual-typewriter

Yes, the typewriter on the console is an Olympia SM3 portable manual typewriter made in West Germany; however, it's decidedly the Grey model, not Brown, and one with all Black keys.

These typewriters came in many different colors - White, Grey, Tan, Brown, Light Green (can come off as Grey), Olive and Burgundy (with some variation in offerings over the years - I might have missed a few) - and you could mix and match different colors on the base and top cover for a two-tone effect if desired (I have one that's White with a Burgundy top). Somewhat more randomly the keys could be Dark Reddish Brown (essentially a Dark Burgundy), very Dark Green, or Black, and it was not uncommon for the space bar to be a different color than the rest. All keys were double shot with, where applicable, White alpha-numeric symbols (ie, the characters were molded into the keys as a separate white plastic casting, not painted on, so they essentially can never wear off).

The SM3 and SM4 looked just about identical (Olympia didn't put the actual model numbers anywhere on these things), but you can tell the difference by looking at the space bar - if it is solid, it's an SM3; if it has Tab Clear and Tab Set keys on opposite ends of the Space Bar then it is the more advanced SM4. The earlier SM2, and later SM5 and SM6 are nearly identical as well, but the SM2 doesn't have the "Olympia" on the right side of the top cover, while the SM5 and SM6 have smooth paint rather than the earlier crinkle finish evident on the console typewriter.

Also of note is that this particular typewriter is (not surprisingly) a British keyed model (having the Pounds Sterling symbol on the shifted "5" key), but also that it is an early one because around mid-run on these they went from a four-dot symbol on the Margin Release key to the more mundane "MR" designation (four-dot key clearly visible in closeups at far left just above the unmarked Caps Lock key).

Finally the SM3/4's date from the early 50's to early 60's. These are very, very good typewriters, btw. They rank among the best portables ever made (right up there with the Swiss-made Hermes) - smooth and precise, and built like diminutive tanks. They even have little springs under the key caps to help cushion your key strokes.

Oops - one last thing. Based on what I was able to see of the measurements on the paper bail, this is almost certainly a 10-pitch rather than a 12-pitch typewriter (pitch = characters per inch), though of unknown typeface (they could be had with quite a choice of typefaces, even cursive).

Hope this helps.

[peterdalek]

By a coincidence I have an Olympia typewriter which was my Dads old typewriter many years ago probably bought from new. Here it is. I've always thought it to be identical to the one used.


Kind Regards
Peter

[hb88banzai]

Indeed it is!

Only difference is the color.

Nice machine.

EDIT:  Hmmm - actually there is one other difference. The one on the console appears to be missing its "TAB" key in the upper right corner of the keyboard (just above the key with the arrow, which is the backspace key). Neither the keypad or the stem are visible. As these machines all had a Tab function (differing only in how the Tab Stops were set), I can only conclude that it has broken off or was lost at some point during servicing.

[deafeningsilence]

Sorry to pull this up again, but I can absolutely confirm, the Tardis typewriter is an Olympia SM3 in green. I own the exact same one, by an incredible coincidence.