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Wednesday, July 24, 2013

London typewriter hunt

A report on a July 16 adventure ...





The street name plaque is dated 1778.





Esselte Compact 350, made in Italy.
Reminiscent of a cheap Olivetti.
Who has more information?

Machines currently for sale at Type

Machines currently in for repair



( L = £ )

Type website






Other shops in the area sell lots of vintage clothes, but some are glorious heaps of miscellanea.


Can you find a typewriter in the photo above?
I couldn't.

But there certainly is one in the photo below. 
It was gloriously adorned with DO NOT TOUCH signs and
taped-on notes. Obviously a workhorse.


This item in a store devoted to Lomography
has the right slogan.



Rob Bowker and I will be returning to this neighborhood on Thursday.

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22 comments:

  1. Ton S. July 24, 2013 at 4:15 PM

    Interesting hunt, lots of curios. Thanks for sharing.

    The Esselte Compact resembles Lettera 35 a little bit, although the latter is not "cheap Olivetti." Is it plastic?

    Lomo - "the future is analogue." Oh yeah!

    ReplyDelete
  2. TedJuly 24, 2013 at 4:17 PM

    Re: the Esselte Compact 350, I'm gonna predict that it turns out to be a Brother in a fancy Olivetti shell. The type guide, key placement and carriage features are classic 1980's Nagoya.

    Huzzah for the Revolution! Public typing amid a sea of smartphones at a train stop with your Kolibri, beautiful. Can't wait for the Type-in reports! :D

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  3. TedJuly 24, 2013 at 4:19 PM

    Heh, or maybe I just have Brother on the brain lately. :P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard PJuly 24, 2013 at 4:58 PM

      It does look Brotherish! Made in Italy, though.

      Delete
  4. rnJuly 24, 2013 at 4:39 PM

    Have you tried GUMTREE.COM? Of course it ain't the same as a cool store, but there are some interesting machines for sale by individuals around town. There's an Olympia Model 8 (massive & excellent desktop machine) for 25 quid (http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/vintage-typewriter-1930s-olympia-mod-8/1025477439) and an odd 3-bank Imperial desktop (http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/vintage-typewriter-1930s-olympia-mod-8/1025477439), also for 25.

    When I was in London a few years back, I stupidly passed on a rusted, cobwebby YOST 10, advertised on Gumtree for 30 quid. I've been kicking myself ever since.

    Rob in NYC

    PS: Lomography? Did I miss something? Am I daft? Since when did plain old photography need a new name? Or is it something different?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. TonysVisionJuly 25, 2013 at 12:03 AM

      I've got a pretty good collection of film cameras, the favorite and Exacta VXIIa. I use them for film photography. I'm not sure what analog(ue) photography or (gasp) lomography are, altho I suspect it is used in the eternal attempt by young people to differentiate their activities from those of their parents. I know, I've been there. We all have. And if we haven't already, we will eventually realize that our parents were more original and creative than we had once suspected.

      Delete
    2. Richard PJuly 25, 2013 at 3:03 AM

      Lomography takes off from a certain Russian camera:
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lomography

      I think the spirit of it doesn't really depend on the camera, but on a sense of camaraderie, adventure, and a certain contrariness (pursuing the analog in a digital world). Not unlike the typosphere. If someone started making truly good new manual typewriters, a similar "brand-name insurgency" might begin in the typewriter world. I don't know whether that would be a good thing; it would partly commercialize our movement.

      Delete
  5. rnJuly 24, 2013 at 4:40 PM

    make the imperial link: http://www.gumtree.com/p/for-sale/vintage-imperial-typewriter/1025838074

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Richard PJuly 24, 2013 at 5:00 PM

      Wow, 3 banks, you're right! Maybe a telegrapher's mill. It is still too big for me to lug home, though, I think.

      I have bought a Good Companion 3 on ebay UK and hope it will be delivered here as a souvenir in time before I have to leave in a week.

      Delete
    2. Rob BowkerJuly 24, 2013 at 5:44 PM

      Pretty sure Esselte either is or was a stationery supplier, so might well be a rebrandes something or other. You found some great dives. See you at 2. Also, slight change of plan. I'll be the retro hipster with the green Antares Parva case, I'll leave the Olivetti at home.

      Delete
    3. Richard PJuly 24, 2013 at 6:32 PM

      You are right, I see that Esselte provides office supplies: http://www.esselte.com/

      See you soon!

      Delete
  6. UnknownJuly 24, 2013 at 7:21 PM

    I love Type's sign--was the name stenciled?

    And also the last picture. Street art of any kind os fascinating.

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  7. Robert MessengerJuly 24, 2013 at 7:27 PM

    Excellent post, thank you for this. Like Ted, I first thought Brother when I saw the Esselte, too, but also wondered whether it might have been made under the Antares umbrella, given it looks so Olivetti-ish. The carriage mechanism looks Antares, as does the colour selector switch. Or maybe Engadine, since many later Engadines, made in Italy, were identical to the Rovers etc coming out of China (which have Brother mechanics).

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  8. Bill MJuly 24, 2013 at 9:23 PM

    Those are some interesting shops and they have typewriters too.

    Photo 12 looks like my garage and 13 looks like my radio room!

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  9. notagainJuly 25, 2013 at 8:09 PM

    What a great type hunt you had! Thanks for letting us tag along.

    ReplyDelete
  10. maisiegoulsbraMay 3, 2014 at 12:01 PM

    Thank you, this was helpful as I want a typewriter BAD, think I might have to visit type next time I go to Brick Lane!
    whatmaisiwore.blogspot.co.uk

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  11. AnonymousJuly 9, 2024 at 3:32 PM

    Esselte is a Swedish office supply brand, yes. They've been around for decades supplying schools and other institutions, and they did several rebrands of cheap typewriters. One was called the Esselte LISA 85 and is obviously an Antares Lisa 30 rebrand, even the blue colour is the same. Those were also made in Italy.

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