1962 Hermes Ambassador #906300

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Hans Boersma (Java68)
Created: 10-25-2015 at 10:31AM
Last Edit: 08-31-2023 at 02:09AM

Description Hunter 18 Photos 3 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

A wonderful, wondrously over-engineered machine. Types like a dream. Dutch keyboard, with florin sign (Æ’). Its typeface, Hermes Special (ten-pitch), is a tad too widely spaced for my taste.

Its previous owner was an adjutant with the Haarlem traffic police in the previous century. It probably endured a fall or blow at some point, as its back door (the only appropriate word for it) is somewhat unhinged and deformed.

This model was also available with electric motor (for carriage return and line spacing).

A most remarkable typewriter. Large and somewhat weighty (14,2 kg), more so if you're used to portables. It is, however, not as heavy as one would think: it appears the inner frame is made from aluminium.

Hans Boersma

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

• A Tale of two Ambassadors, by Robert Messenger
• The 1966 Hermes Ambassador: A Review...
• Some observations of my own, published on The Typewriter Revolution Blog
• Erasure

Photos:

The back door, somewhat unhinged

The adjustable paper introduction device

I know, these are not the proper ribbon spools, but it seems to work fine

The outer shell hides a serious heavy-duty aluminium frame

1960s postcard (etsy.com)

Film still from "Populaire" (2012), a French production about a "terrible secretary but demon typist" (imdb.com). Picture taken from the ozTypewriter blog

Hunter: Hans Boersma (Java68)

Hans Boersma's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 580

I'm not really a hunter, or a collector. Well, I try not to be anyway. Typewriters should be used IMHO, and how to choose from an increasingly anonymous multitude? There is much to say for having just one typewriter, and sticking to it. But then again, there are so much beautiful and interesting typewriters out there, all with their own character and historical backgrounds... So I refer to my modest collection as "the machine park" and do my best to keep it from becoming a multitude. I decidedly favour standard-size typewriters: large office workhorses that throw their considerable weight behind your labours. Nicely over-dimensioned machines with a more than agreeable keyboard touch and a business-like appearance, ready for any job. I enjoy looking at "typewriter porn" on sites such as these, which provides an adequate substitute to having a larger collection. So... thank you for showing me yours!