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Antiques! => Antique Questions Forum => Topic started by: thehumphries on August 02, 2010, 12:29:03 pm

Title: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: thehumphries on August 02, 2010, 12:29:03 pm: Greetings all.

I am currently helping my grandfather start to clean out and sell some of this old radios, collectibles, and such over his 60 years of owning/operating a radio station.

While digging through sheds and sheds of radios, we ran across there really cool typewriters. However we can't really identify them down to a year and I was hoping someone here could help us. I apologize ahead of time, the only camera available was my iphone.

L.C. Smith and Bros Model No. 2
No serial number can be found or other identifying numbers.
Picture on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48410659@N04/4854260632/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48410659@N04/4854260632/)

Underwood No. 5 (from the info i found model 5s are supposed to have a red button)
Serial: S5461135-11 (I did find a site that listed dates of the SNs, but couldn't really tell the year)
Has champion on the back of the spacebar
Picture on Flicker: http://www.flickr.com/photos/48410659@N04/4854262136 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/48410659@N04/4854262136)

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: KC on August 02, 2010, 02:03:41 pm: Perhaps these links will help

http://www.typewritermuseum.org/collection/index.php3?machine=royal1&cat=kf (http://www.typewritermuseum.org/collection/index.php3?machine=royal1&cat=kf)

Serial Number databases
http://www.tw-db.com/indexen.htm (http://www.tw-db.com/indexen.htm)

http://www.antiquetypewriters.com/index.htm (http://www.antiquetypewriters.com/index.htm)

http://willdavis.org/ (http://willdavis.org/)
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: thehumphries on August 02, 2010, 02:24:02 pm: Hi KC,

Thank you for the links. We have pretty much visited all of those and are still unable to find any solid information on the models. The Underwood one we can't find a for sure match (maybe 1912 if the serial was right) but we are unable to find a physical match. It seems to be similar to the 1939 World Fair model, but isn't quite a match. The L.C. Smith & Bros model 2 is still at a loss since we have no serial or identification on it.

Thanks for the links again KC.
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: sapphire on August 02, 2010, 02:43:00 pm: thehumphries, could you possibly post pics of them? Preferably with close ups of any markings. Have you checked down inside, where the key strikes are located?
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: KC on August 02, 2010, 10:35:07 pm: Looks like yours - says circa 1943! Underwood
(http://i383.photobucket.com/albums/oo273/pdxbuys/4854A.jpg) http://pdxbuys.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html (http://pdxbuys.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html)

and I believe that this looks like your LC SMITH
(http://lh4.ggpht.com/_L9DjK62KGjg/S1jNyztkn2I/AAAAAAAB5qI/cZ9MrtWRf1M/s800/IMG_5908.JPG)

http://www.shophousingworks.com/lot.cfm?lotID=48168&from=moreShop (http://www.shophousingworks.com/lot.cfm?lotID=48168&from=moreShop)
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: thehumphries on August 03, 2010, 12:02:05 am: @sapphire there are pics posted above via links to flicker pictures. Sorry, having to do all of this via iPhone. If the pics aren't good enough or need an upclose of a certain area let me know. I didn't check in the keys but I will tommorrow! Thanks

@kc I had seen that pic on google but it differs on the side bars that are L shaped. This one doesn't have it.

Tomorrow is my last day in Idaho so I think I will just throw them up on eBay and see what happens.
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: thehumphries on August 03, 2010, 04:06:03 pm: Incase anyone is interested, here is the typewriters on ebay posted with all the information I have been able to find.

http://shop.ebay.com/hoothumphries/m.html

Few radios posted as well.

Thanks for the help everyone!
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: talesofthesevenseas on August 03, 2010, 05:27:23 pm: Here are three typewriters including an Underwood on the San Francisco Craigslist.

The asking prices on these are $100 - $350.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/atq/1879117252.html (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/atq/1879117252.html)

Another Underwood for $100:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/clt/1878960316.html (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/clt/1878960316.html)

This Underwood is dated 1915 and they are asking $60:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/atq/1878686084.html (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/atq/1878686084.html)

Here's one in bad shape for $25. I've also seen the glass-covered keys recycled as refrigerator magnets.
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/clt/1867447642.html (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/clt/1867447642.html)

An Underwood for $200:
http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/for/1866176250.html (http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/for/1866176250.html)
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: CollectorsOnlineMall on August 03, 2010, 06:38:22 pm: Underwood - S5461135-11 Looks like 1941

http://www.tw-db.com/indexen.htm

L.C. Smith

http://www.tw-db.com/indexen.htm
Title: Re: Need help identifying/pricing typewriters
Post by: sapphire on August 03, 2010, 07:23:32 pm: Great link Collectors!! How about adding it to the Special Threads section for future reference and information? ;)