John E. Simmons.com » corona

Smith Corona Skyriter – SC272402 (1949)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:52:00 +0000

Smith Corona developed a really portable machine for use on trains named appropriately, The Zephyr. After the war, with the popularity of air travel, the small, lightweight typewriter was renamed The Skyriter.

It came with a metal cover so it was very convenient to carry.

This one was made in 1949 – about the time of this ad

Smith Corona Silent – 5S121700 (1949)

John — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 17:46:30 +0000

I found this Smith Corona Silent in a flea market outside Washington, North Carolina in 1989. I had just moved to the city to work at WITN-TV, and needed a typewriter to write home to friends. These were the final days before email.

If you look closely at the keys, you’ll see some unusual ones for a typewriter found in the U.S. It has everything needed to type in all the European Roman alphabet languages – Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, and yes, even English.

Corona Model 4 – SCRM05609 (1928)

John — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 23:14:58 +0000

Corona continued it’s line of light-weight portable typewriters, producing the Model 4, which differed from the Model 3 mainly in that it did not fold for transport. The Model 4 was continued after the merger with L.C. Smith and until production was stopped in 1942 for the war.

The Corona 4 used Dupont’s Duco lacquer paint giving the typewriters a number of colors. This model is Light Maroon. It also has both of the ribbon covers, which are frequently missing.

The feet have collapsed so much, the keys bottom out on the bottom of the case or on the desktop.

It’s missing one key cover, and it has an unusual key next to the ; – it has a cent mark and a paragraph mark – and the insert under the key cover is different – as though it were typed rather than printed as the other keys are.

This one is Serial Number R5M05609 – meaning Light Maroon (R) September or October (5) 1928 (M). It has pica type.