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 [...]
Typewriters
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 [...]
This post-war Remington is branded Remington Rand on the paper tray. As with all the post-wars, it’s a model 7. This one is serial number H152960, thus made in 1948, and has the black wrinkle finish and elite type.
This may be my favorite machine for practical typing use. It has the same styling as the pre-war models, but it has that extra manufacturing quality that many post-war items seem to have. I think manufacturers learned a lot making all of that war materiel. If only it came with that glossy black lacquer finish [...]
This is the post-war version of the Noiseless made by Remington for Underwood. It’s the same as a Remington Model Seven. This one is serial number 1608039, but serial numbers on these Underwoods are useless for dating.
This is a Remington Deluxe Noiseless typewriter. It’s supposed to be pre-war and essentially a Model 7 with a smaller paper table. It has the standard, wrinkled paint finish one would expect. I say supposed to be because the serial number doesn’t match. It should be ND followed by six-digits. This one is N1170170. No [...]
This one is a pre-war Remington Noiseless portable made in 1937. It’s a bit less fancy than the Model 7s, the paper tray is smaller and the carriage return/line fee is a folding, upright lever rather than the longer horizontal bar. This example is the black lacquer finish and it has pica type.
My Underwood Noiseless 77 is serial number 621423 and is from 1933 – only two years after Remington began to make them for Underwood. When I found this typewriter, it had obviously been in a wet place – a basement perhaps? The leatherette on the case is pulling away in many places. The typewriter itself [...]
