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Thursday 9 February 2012

Dusty and Rusty: Old Remington Portable Typewriters for Sale

Queensland and northern New South Wales have been getting yet another summer of torrential rains and devastating flooding. Normally, however, it gets pretty hot, dry and dusty up around that part of the world at this time of year.
These two old Remington portable typewriters have seen such better days. They show the signs.
The first one, in Hervey Bay, Queensland, is on eBay with a starting price of $34. A quick wipe with an oily rag might help the seller’s cause. Even if he or she just blows on it!
The seller says, “This is in perfect working order. It has no cracks, chips or damage. It has a spot of paint or powder coating (what the ...?) missing. It has some surface rust on the hammers but no corrosion.”
For this machine, the New South Wales seller is asking $45 and blithely suggests, “Needs full restoration.”
Compare all this to the way Derrick Brown in Brisbane has presented his latest offering. A bit of effort can go a long way:






4 comments:

Bill M said...

I notice lazy sellers on ebay all the time. I wonder why sellers do not do basic cleaning with anything they sell. A bit of cleaning can really make something more appealing. It is as bad as those who list typewriters and never an example of the typeface. Even a faded ribbon is better than nothing.

Rob Bowker said...

Derek's Remington Mod 5 is like mine, though shiny not matt. The shinyblack ones with "Streamline" along the paper table in fat gold type are very pretty.

rino breebaart said...

Derek does amazing work restoring finishes. Really knows his stuff.

Unknown said...

Are there any Welsh font typewriters out there? I am scouting for one.