Many moons ago, I thrifted this vintage Oliveti typewriter from Thieves' Market at Sungei Road. After dusting it off a few days ago and with quite a bit of googling, I've determined that it is in full working condition. The best part is the little bell that goes off when you reach the end of the line - zzzzzing! Brings you right back to Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce, without the incessant ringing phones.
I'm eager to give it a makeover so stay tuned for a little bit of vintage DIY!
According to wiki, the Olivetti Lettera 32 is a portable mechanical typewriter designed by Marcello Nizzoli for Olivetti in 1963, as a sucessor of the popular Olivetti Lettera 22. Even though it weighs a whopping 5.9kg, it was considered a portable machine and came with its own rather snazzy-looking striped carrying case that unfortunately was not available when I bought it. Also missing was the dustcover & the manual.
Striped Carrying Case via The Teeritz Agenda |
Operating Manual via The Teeritz Agenda |
A few fun facts came up when researching about this particular Olivetti model.
In December 2009, an Olivetti Lettera 32 purchased by Cormac McCarthy in 1963 for $50 at a Tennessee pawn shop sold at a Christie's Auction for $250,000! It was on this humble machine that Pulitzer Prize-winning McCarthy authored novels such as The Road, No Country for Old Men, Blood Meridian, and All the Pretty Horses.
The print ads had a very modern aesthetic, with the cheeky Christmas ad reading "A present with a future".
vintage olivetti print ads via ninonbooks |
Cleaning & painting it is at the top of this weekend's to-do list. Once that's done, I hope it becomes a permanent fixture in my workspace and you might soon see typewritten 'Thank You' notes for shop purchases! Or hand-typed Five Stones Vintage name cards!
What a cool find! I love the idea of hand-typed business cards!
ReplyDeleteWhat a pretty little thing! My first typewriter was an Olivetti... First love!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy this new toy! :)
May I check where you purchased the ribbon for the typewriter?
ReplyDelete