I took it downstairs and examined it. As the ribbon was tangled, I pulled off the ribbon cover and found the name Stan Carey underneath. Stan was the anchor at WMAZ-TV (Channel 13 in Macon, Georgia) from the late 50s until the early 1980s. He also played organ and had a number of recitals on air. This was obviously Stan’s newsroom typewriter. Beside the name are US Patent Numbers and the wording that the machine is a product of Litton Industries.

But what is it? I’m not familiar with Royals, and the typewriter database lists the serial number in the 1920s. Obviously this is a much later machine – one from the era Stan was at 13. The serial number is A7V – 11- 1228394. The first numbers are probably the model number and the width of the carriage.

Update – Jay Respler of Advanced Business Machines says the typewriter is a Royal Model 470 made in July 1972. The back show that it was made in England. Here are some more photos.

The machine surprises me – it has elite type. I would have thought that any newsroom typewriter would have had at least pica type – the larger type is easier to read.