1894 Williams 1 CURVED #1941

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 09-13-2026 at 11:23AM
Last Edit: 09-13-2026 at 11:32AM

Description Hunter 19 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

2026-SEP-13, Gallery Creation. I could not resist adding this eBay sighting; how often do you see a curved keyboard Williams 1 come up for sale? I only noticed it while searching completed auctions, to get an idea of how much Williams typewriters (not Williams 1 curved in particular) have been listed and sold for on eBay. This one probably came and went very quickly: it sold on Friday, 9/11/2026, for $3500. The seller, "danri_24", based in Minocqua, WI, has very many other items for sale on eBay, but no other typewriters that I noticed. He does have a Remington typewriter crate listed, with Remington Model 10 illustrations. Generally, his items have an out-doorsy, sportsman, north country woods sort of theme.

According to TWDB, the Williams 1 curved keyboard ran from serial number 1 through 2199, and was replaced with the straight keyboard Williams 1 in January 1895 at serial number 2200. Apparently, the earliest and latest known serial numbers are #1 (!) and #2087. This example, #1941, therefore is relatively close to the end of the series. Only two other curved William 1 machines have galleries on TWDB at the moment: #1510, owned by Maxim Suravegin, and #1590, owned by Martin Howard. As for me, I do not own any Williams typewriters and never have. However, I encountered a straight-keyboard Williams 1 at the New Hampshire Antique Coop in Milford, NH, in 2001 or 2002. I had them remove the machine from the display case for a closer look, but I could not afford the asking price (somewhere in the high triple digits) at that point in my life; and so, it was a missed opportunity due to being financially inaccessible.

This example, #1941, is not in the best condition, but clearly somebody was glad to secure it.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Forward right quadrant view.

Front nickeled rim, patent dates, left.

Williams name engraving.

Front nickeled rim, patent dates, right.

Top-down view.

Right end of keyboard.

Right broadside.

Right broadside, tilted view.

Underside, tilted view.

Serial number.

Right back-end view of paper basket.

Aft right quad view.

Aft view.

Left back-end view of ornamentation.

Left view of paper basket.

Left broadside view.

Second top-down view.

Second front view.

eBay listing page, showing sold on September 11, 2026.

Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)

Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6407

My interest in typewriters started in 1997, when I was in graduate school at the University of Georgia. I purchased and read Darryl Rehr's book, joined ETC, and started reaching out to known collectors. I had several email interchanges with Richard Polt dating from that period. I also bought some of my first machines from Bob Aubert, and visited him at his home twice. After marriage and relocation to New England, I continued visiting antique shops and eBay, until other priorities put my typewriter hobby on hiatus around 2008.

In late 2024, I started up again, working on my machines and having some of them serviced professionally by New England Typewriter (NET) LLC (Merrimack, NH), until they closed their doors in December of 2025. Since mid-2025, I have been adding to my collection again, first with a Hermes 3000 purchase from NET, then with various auctions and purchases on eBay, when I find something that catches my eye.