Sunday, March 1, 2020

Fresh (?) typewriters (?) from China (?)

Here are a couple of things I spotted online today.

First, in Dayton, Ohio (an hour away from me) there's an unused BNC for sale.



A what?

The BNC is an office-sized manual typewriter that surfaced briefly about 3 years ago. I believe it was made in China, but have no confirmation of its origin. Was it made after Godrej, in India, famously stopped manufacturing standard manuals in 2009? What was the origin of the BNC's mechanical design? Someone should buy it and study it. (Please don't make me do it....)



Meanwhile, on Alibaba I spotted this "vintage metal typewriter model for tissue box." If a fake Blickensderfer no. 8 isn't enough for you, maybe you'll go for this fake Blick 8 Kleenex dispenser!



It certainly makes me want to cry, either with laughter or with despair, I'm not sure which.


9 comments:

  1. Those fakes keep getting uglier and uglier.

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  2. Richard, that BNC looks to me to be a late model Facit. Towards the end the Facit was being manufactured in Poland and I recall with great clarity repairing both the manual and the electric versions of this nice machine. Pacific typewriters was the importer of these machines.

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  3. *Sips coffee trying to frame a Corona joke*

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  4. I like the tissue box more than I should...

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  5. Yes. The BNC is better known as Flying Fish Model PSQ-14. It was designed in 1960s, a hybrid with a carriage of an Underwood and body Remington standards. But the one in the pic is probably made by the same Weilv manufacturer as Rover, Poor quality control.

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    Replies
    1. Interesting, thanks. I wonder when it was manufactured.

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    2. My advice would be: don't buy it :-P . Poor quality stuff.

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  6. The Model PSQ-14 was first manufactured in 1960s and 1970s. But the one pictured in your blog is probably in late 1990s or early 2000.

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