Featured An infinite number of monkeys...

Probably would never produce Hamlet on my old Underwood.

It was late at night at the end of a long grueling auction, and well... somehow I ended up with an old cast iron Underwood typewriter (thankfully I also bought a dolly).

It is not is perfect condition, but it does need work. But most of the bits and pieces seem to be there (expect the ribbon). The think that interested me is that it is the only ledger sized typewriter I have ever seen.

It would be a great project for an Underwood enthusiast, but the thing weights as much as a smart car (but less likely to spontaneous combust), so shipping might out weight the value of the item.

What advice to you fine folks have?

 

Ribbon is probably not an issue. Likely to find it on eBay or find similar and put that on your reels if the donor doesn’t fit.
What’s wrong with it? They are pretty tough.
@Shangas may have some insight for you as well as others.
Go ahead and show it here. Manufacturer’s plate and such, as well as any damage.

 

For me I couldn't give typewriters away but a couple of years ago folks became interested in them - the older the better. Ribbons are easy to find, but it will depend on the condition as to what you can get. I'm in a small town on the West Coast and get anywhere from $125-225 for them - not sure where you are or what value you can expect. The last three I sold went to journalism students.

 

Wow!

 

Ditto what cxgirl said. There is a resurgence of interest in old typewriters. Even non-working models will sell. We are not getting as high prices here in the Midwest but certainly worth buying and selling.

 

Interesting. Where I live they were in demand about 7-10 years ago. The owner of a vintage consignment store used to say "bring me every typewriter you find".

Now they won't take them.

Maybe I should check to see if the consignment store's policy changed back again.

 

I found a group on Facebook that deals strictly with antique typewriter maintenance and repairs. The group does not allow sales, so I am hoping they give me an honest opinion as to condition, what repairs maybe required, and how common the model might be. I'll let you know what they say

 

In the last 2 years I have seem some typewriters fetch obscene amounts at auction.

 

I'm sure the rare ones have never been higher. Probably depends on the model.

An antique one that sold for $.99 on Ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Underwood-Typewriter-Black-Full-Size-Antique-5221145-14-/182775228130?hash=item2a8e40a6e2:g:7OMAAOSwjghZwEIu&nma=true&si=P57zSAnwVoTYOwklZs7cwdKW8eI%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

And one that sold for $6,150

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ANTIQUE-TYPEWRITER-Schreibmaschine-Macchina-da-Scrivere-Machine-a-Ecrire-Vtg-/152684167711?hash=item238caf821f:g:nPEAAOSwGIBZpx4i&nma=true&si=P57zSAnwVoTYOwklZs7cwdKW8eI%3D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

 

Since Tom Hanks has said he collects typewriters, there will probably be at least a short resurgence in prices. Nothing like a celebrity endorsement to get things moving.

 

Here is a link to photos of the typewriter if you wanna check it out.
https://imgur.com/gallery/M82e9