Rooy Portable typewriter

Here are some pictures and a typecast from the ultra flat Rooy Portable typewriter I bought today: sn 27446, produced in 1953. I should retype it so it makes more sense. But the sun is shining, so: sorry, can't be bothered. :)

Rooy portable in its lid

Rooy Portable sliding out of the lid...

Ready for typing!

Here are the links to information about the Rooy Portable typewriter:
Machines of loving grace
Retro Tech Geneva
ozTypewriter
Typed on Paper

And for information about the recent evolution of mobile phones see:
Hongkiat

Pittsburg Visible Typewriter

I didn’t drive almost 2 hours to Germany just to take pictures of typewriters and collectors (see my previous post). In fact, I carried a list of typewriters that I would possibly buy if the price would be right.

One of the machines on my list was the Daugherty Visible (1893). It’s not only a very nice typewriter to see, it also has historical value for being the very first completely visible typewriter. Unfortunately, there was no Daugherty for sale, but the next best thing was standing on one of the tables: a Pittsburg Visible (1898). This is almost the same machine as the Daugherty, except for carrying another name. The price was right and it seemed complete to me, so I put it in the trunk of my car.

The serial number of my machine is 11985. According to this serial number list around 10 thousand Daugherty’s were made between 1890 and 1898. In or around 1898, the machine was renamed Pittsburg Visible with continuous serial numbers running into 12 thousand.  In 1902 the Pittsburg Visible 10 was introduced, with serial numbers ranging from 13 to 23 thousand.

The Pittsburg Visible that was made between 1898 and 1901 (one of which is my machine) is sometimes referred to as the “model no. 9”. This model designation was never put on any machine, but it is used in the serial number list of Burghagen to distinguish this model from the later number 10.

There are some minor differences between the Daugherty and the Pittsburg Visible no. 9 (mainly different decals) and some more important differences between these two typewriters and the Pittsburg No. 10. The number 10 was stronger and a better typer (see Martin 1949, p. 114), and because of the use of normal shift keys it also had a different appearance than the previous models, which had nickeled shift keys. For more differences between the models, see: the Virtual Typewriter Museum.

I still doubt whether I should buy newly made nickeled ribbon spools. At some time, a former owner of this Pittsburg typewriter replaced the original nickeled spools with regular spools. Newly made nickeled replacement spools do exist and would bring the typewriter back to it original appearance, but I am afraid they would look too shiny on my otherwise not so shiny machine.

German typewriter Collectors Meeting, May 25 2013, Köln

Today I went to another meeting of the German typewriter collectors in Köln. It was nice to see familiar faces and to practice German while walking past the trunks of the cars, filled with all kinds of typewriters. Here are the pictures, so you get an idea. I had the impression that most sellers had to take the vast majority of their machines back home again. Only those who put "realistic" prices were able to sell some.

Did I just receive an Underwood 2?

I've just received what I believe is an Underwood 2. I bought it from an antiques dealer on the internet, who thought it was from the 1940s. If this is really a #2, it would've been made in or around 1898.

It looks like an Underwood 1 (no see-saw ribbon color selector and a metal colored scale strip) but it has 42 keys instead of 38, so - according to Ernst Martin (1923), p. 218 - that would make it a #2. The serial number is 9732. There is no patent information on the back (no mention to Wagner, nothing).

I haven't found a lot of information yet about this machine or its rarity, except for a message in the Yahoo typewriter mailing list from 2002, claiming that only 2 other Underwood #2's were known. So, logically, I am very excited about this find. Is this really an Underwood 2? And if so, is it really that rare? Anyone else owns an Underwood 2? What is the serial number?

If anyone reading this has more information about the Underwood 2, please write me a comment below or click here to answer the mail I've sent about this typewriter in the Yahoo typewriter mailing list. Now, I probably better start cleaning it. Carefully, just in case!

Here are the pictures: