1904 Ideal A3 #13245
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 07-04-2019 at 07:38AM
Last Edit: 07-04-2019 at 07:46AM
Find on Ebay #AD
Find on Etsy #AD
Description:
When a door closes another one opens, that's what I try to tell myself when a typewriter escapes from my clutch. I was aiming at a Royal Bar Lock 2 when it flew away (or someone had more money in their pockets, dunno what happened exactly), so I looked elsewhere and there it was: this Ideal A3. Apparent good condition, wooden case (or pirate chest because of the size) and attractive price. Maybe seeing that Royal Bar Lock 2 go wasn't that bad...
And in fact this is a fairly good find. The A3 is not terribly rare, but I got it at a very competitive price compared to the predictable figures here in Spain. I managed to get it at around -30% the regular price, and semmingly at +50% the condition. The lettering on the case is a bit faded, but the case is in good condtion, the lock works and the typewriter itself has been well preserved. Quite a feat for this venerable machine, which predates my previous oldest typewriter (a 1910 Fox 23) by 6 years. I've needed 101 typewriters to push back the date of my earliest typewriter, so if this sets a trend I´ll get a 19th century typewriter when I reach the 300 typewriters mark.
At 115 years old it amazes me how well almost everything works in this beauty. I say ALMOST everything because sadly it can't type. Keys move, carriage moves, the weird return lever system works just fine... but the feed rollers are flat. I can't feed it paper, and I'm a bit worried about tinkering with it to replace them. I wish I could see this typewriter in action...
Typeface Specimen:
Photos:
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Javier Vazquez del Olmo's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6476
The first typewriter I saw was my grandpa´s Olivetti Linea 98 at the office. It was just a curio for me. Then I was given a Nakajima, which I didn´t use and my grandfather took it from me because it was easier to handle than the bulky Linea 98. Now I own that typewriter, and I started a little collection in Valladolid, Spain. The Nakajima, which is "my" typewriter only returned home in 2017, almost 20 years later, when he wanted a better typewriter.
A collection that started small grew into something bigger, a nuisace for my family and a great source of satisfaction for me.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Ideal A3 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Ideal Serial Number page and the Ideal A3 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
