ASK DR. BOLI.

A Royal HH enhancing the beauty of any office, as the manual promises.

The “tombstone” keys on a 1949 Royal Quiet De Luxe.

The Woodstock, ready for un-American activities.

The 1949 Smith-Corona Sterling.

. 7 comments.

Comments

  1. tom says:
    March 2, 2024 at 6:38 am

    As an architect (retired) we of course only hand-printed on our 24×36 tracing paper, although Letraset was sometimes used. But if by some chance we had to type-write something it always had to be on a suitably architect-y design-y item, preferably an Olivetti.

    Of course any machine would do, if you were restricted to only using two fingers.

    Reply
  2. Dr. Boli says:
    March 2, 2024 at 8:53 am

    For an architect’s office, it has always seemed to Dr. Boli that his Tower Constellation would be the best portable typewriter. It could not handle 24×36 paper, but it could handle paper twelve inches wide, and the small-caps gothic type is suitable for technical drawings.

    From the point of view of design, an architect might appreciate the Royal portables from 1948 and 1949.

    1948 Royal Quiet De Luxe

    They were designed by Henry Dreyfuss, the man who designed the middle twentieth century. In addition to the design, they have a silky action and those luxurious tombstone keys.

    Reply
  3. tom says:
    March 3, 2024 at 6:47 am

    Just imagine if Le Corbusier had designed a typewriter!
    (Or Zaha Hadid!!)

    Reply
  4. Maypo says:
    March 3, 2024 at 5:22 pm

    Thank you for the complete reply Dr. Boli. I enjoyed the month and this wraps it up very nicely!

    Reply
  5. Maypo says:
    March 3, 2024 at 8:57 pm

    By the way, based on the pictures and glass-round keys I believe I own a Royal KMM. I inherited the instrument from a grandparent and it is a delight to plug away at it.

    Unfortunately the printed/painted label on the back appears to have been smudged from the factory. I can’t make it out to be sure.

    Reply
    • Dr. Boli says:
      March 3, 2024 at 10:57 pm

      The Royal standards don’t actually have their models marked, even when the labels are in perfect condition. The best way to tell is by the serial number.

      To find the serial number, move the carriage all the way to the left. (You may have to push the margin release to go far enough.) That will reveal a little box under the right end of the carriage with the serial number engraved in the metal. The letters at the beginning are the model: “KMM-” if it’s a KMM. The serial number will also tell you the date of manufacture if you look it up in the Typewriter Database.

      Reply
  6. Maypo says:
    March 4, 2024 at 5:58 pm

    Fantastic! That produced KMM-3344274 which seems to have built in 1947.
    Thank you for the help!
    And yes, the keys are real glass and they are spectacular.

    Reply

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