Many thanks for all your guesses; you've made this find even more exciting than it already is! Richard's and Miguel's answers were the closest. How about a post on your favorite standard typewriter?
* Reference
Cara McCarty, "Industrial Design" in Mario Bellini: Designer. New York: MOMA, 1987.
* See also Olivetti Lexikon 80 at the MOMA permanent collection; and Richard Polt's Lexikon 80.
* Typecast via Olivetti Lexikon 80
20 comments:
Great pics as always Ton - that is a marvelous looking machine and it looks like it belongs on your desk and that its at home.
i bet you might inspire a new mass hunt for Lexikons.
congrats!
It is indeed a beautiful machine, Ton, congratulations!
The top-most row on the keyboard probably is a very rare, and useful feature found only on desktop models: a decimal tabulator. My Olympia SG-3 has a similar setup. You set your tab stops at the units, and if you want to write, say, a three-figure number you press the tab key marked "1 00"; if you want to type a four figure number, you press the "1 000" tab key, and so on. In my Olympia it moves the carriage to the next tab stop, less enough spaces to actually type the number and keep it nicely aligned to the right. Very useful for accounting purposes.
Many congratulations on your find! I bet you were indeed the happiest traveller in that airport!
What a stunning beast! I love the styling. It is very fashion forward for 1952 and a nice bit of industrial design.
That is an exceptionally beautiful machine. I love the lines, the color...in fact, what's not to love? I'm so happy for you. I know you can't stop looking at it.
Portables are nice, but a standard is for serious work. I love them. The Lexicon is a beautiful machine. Good hunting!
Beautiful typewriter, and great eBay catch! That sounds like how I got my Graphika, overseas trip and all - I first spotted the listing from a hotel room in Accra :)
I have always admired the Lexikon 80 and was keen to get one but couldn't quite justify it... fortunately I think the Graphika is close enough that I have the best of both worlds!
All I can say is.... Sweeeet ride man!
@Michael, "it looks like it belongs on your desk and that its at home"... I like that that, I really do.
@Miguel, I'm sure that's what the keys are for, you just explained it better. ( : I think you're also right in saying that it's a standard exclusive.
@Dwayne, I think it really evinces the teamwork of an aesthete and an engineer.
@Dana, you are so right!
@Ryan, I also noticed that I type faster on the standard. Perhaps the stability has something to do with it.
@Adwoa, really? That is so funny! It just goes to show what fanatics we are, we're still hunting for typers at hotels and airports! I think the Graphika is a dream.
@Scott, yeah! Every so often, we actually get what we want!
Thanks for sharing in the joy, folks. Doubles the fun!
Great post and a very nice machine.
Congrats on a very nice score! I hope you get a lot of great writing done on it.
Now I want to see that top row in action! I assume the spacing is so the numerals will go in the correct boxes in a ledger? Now I want a typewriter with those keys.
Congrats on your win!
Yay!! Beautiful photos. As you know, I love my Lexikon 80, and you definitely needed one in your Olivetti collection.
The decimal tabulator (which I don't have on my Lexikon) is designed to align columns of numbers on the decimal point. A few portables had decimal tabulators, but no Olivetti portables as far as I know.
Holy crap that thing is pretty. Well done.
That's a really beautiful typeface.
@Luis, gracias!
@Peter, oh yes, this one will get a workout.
@Lauren, that's exactly what it is. And to think that I hate any kind of accounting!
@Richard, many thanks to your posts, the Lexikon 80 came to my attention. I concur, what's an Olivetti collection without a Lexikon!
@Mike, man, it must be real pretty if it brought back Mike Speegle. ( : Good to hear from you!
@Georg, glad you liked the typeface, it's pretty neat.
Annnddd...let the drooling and jealousy commence. I have never before wanted an Olivetti any more than I do right now. That typer looks absolutely stupendous, and I have really never seen them come up on eBay. Great find!
Will this take the place of the 44?
There's one of these sitting in the window of an over-priced antiques store an hour from where I live. Nestled on display surrounded by 1950s fans, an old record player and various hand-wound alarm clocks, it is a truly imposing looking machine and stands out a mile. Congrats, Ton!
@Ken, it will not take the place of anything, every Olivetti has a place of honor in my corral. Now wipe the drool, you're the guy with 60+ typewriters!
@teeritz, thanks, it was a lucky find indeed.
Un auténtico placer pasarme por tu blog y ver estas joyas que nos ha dejado la historia..
Mil gracias, Daniel.
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