How to Choose Your First Vintage Typewriter — A Collector's Guide

There is a reason typewriters keep finding their way back onto desks. A typewriter asks for nothing but your attention — no notifications, no battery, no software updates. Just you, a sheet of paper, and the satisfying mechanical certainty of a machine built to outlive its owner. If you are thinking about bringing one home, this guide will help you choose well the first time.

I. Know the eras

Most collectible typewriters fall between the 1930s and the early 1970s — the golden decades of mechanical engineering. Pre-war machines (1930s–40s) carry glass keys, glossy black lacquer and enormous charm, but they demand more patience and maintenance. Post-war portables (1950s–60s) are the sweet spot for a first machine: refined mechanics, durable construction, and ribbons that are still easy to find today. By the 1970s, plastic bodies and electric models took over — interesting historically, but rarely what first-time buyers fall in love with.

II. Machines worth knowing

Hermes 3000 — Switzerland Often called the Rolls-Royce of portables. Famously smooth, whisper-quiet action and that unmistakable sea-foam green. Beloved by professional writers for good reason.

Olympia SM series — Germany The SM3, SM4 and SM9 are tanks in the best sense: precise German engineering, crisp imprint, built to type for another hundred years. Arguably the best value in serious machines.

Olivetti Lettera 22 & 32 — Italy Flat, light and beautiful — the journalist's companion of the twentieth century. Cormac McCarthy wrote his novels on a Lettera 32. Ideal if you want a machine that travels.

Smith-Corona & Royal — United States The workhorses of mid-century America. Plentiful, charming and usually more affordable — an excellent, forgiving entry point into the hobby.

III. Inspect before you buy

Condition is everything. A common model in excellent mechanical health is worth far more to you than a rare model that doesn't type. Here is what an experienced buyer checks:

✦ The Collector's Checklist ✦

Every key strikes. Test all of them — sluggish or sticking typebars mean dried oil and old grime inside.
The carriage moves freely and advances one space per keystroke, with no skipping or stalling.
The platen (the rubber roller) isn't rock-hard or cracked — a hard platen punches holes in paper and deadens the imprint.
The ribbon advances and reverses. Fresh ribbons are still made in universal sizes, but the mechanism must work.
The bell rings at the end of the line — small detail, honest indicator of overall health.
Ask for a typed sample. One photographed page of actual typing tells you more than ten photos of the machine.

IV. Caring for your machine

A vintage typewriter needs surprisingly little: keep it dusted and covered, keep it dry, and never spray household lubricants into the mechanism — they gum up and attract dust. Cleaning is done with proper solvents, and oil is applied sparingly, in drops, only where metal meets metal. Treated this way, a machine from 1955 will still be typing in 2055.

Buy the best condition you can afford, not the rarest name you can find — your fingers will thank you every day.