For a very long time, I’ve thought about getting a typewriter. Not the electric one, nor the plastic ones from the 60’s or 70’s, but the honest-to-god-all-made-of-metal-could-kill-someone-if-you-threw-it typewriters.
Recent correspondence between my latest IGGPPC-assigned pen-friend and I got me scouring eBay and Googling for any possible candidates in my area.
My criteria were as follows (in no particular order):
- Portable1 not desktop version
- Either has local pick-up or real cheap shipping
- Is not plastic
- Looks pretty (not too banged up)
- Not going to burn a hole in my pocket
- IN WORKING ORDER (I don’t know enough about typewriters to be able to fix one up)
Of course, some of my criteria conflicted with each other:
- Pretty ones were not cheap
- Cheap ones that look pretty may not work – and getting them fixed was probably going to cost a pretty penny
- Pretty and cheap ones were all overseas – and the shipping would make them UN-cheap
- My definition of pretty is pretty subjective and expensive. Apparently, I really like the look of the Underwoods – especially their Noiseless 77, but again, not cheap
After a week of eBay deep-diving – which included a lot of frustration, as all the pretty machines were selling at ridiculously low prices overseas, but were selling for 10x the price in Australia – I managed to snap this little beauty for $80AUD.
It’s an Imperial The Good Companion typewriter and according to the internet, it’s a 1943 model. I’ve still to find where the serial number is on this thing, so if any of you out there know where I should look, please leave a comment.
I am hoping to type my future correspondences with my pen-friend on this typewriter. And maybe, I would even try a hand at typecasting!