1907 Smith Premier 5 #11429
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Erik Bruchez (ebruchez)
Created: 10-25-2020 at 12:54PM
Last Edit: 07-12-2021 at 12:03PM
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Description:
This Smith Premier 5 features the Gorin decimal tabulator. The tabulator column bears the serial 11510 at the top. Is it a coincidence that it's so close to the machine's 11429 serial?
It has a Swiss QWERTZ keyboard. It has the following keys for German:
- "u" umlaut
- "o" umlaut
- "a" umlaut
And the following for French:
- "c" cedilla
- "e" acute
- grave accent (dead key)
- circumflex accent (dead key)
It's probably also possible to use this keyboard for Italian.
I believe that the Smith Premier 5 is a fairly uncommon machine, and probably even less common with the Gorin decimal tabulator. So I am pretty happy to have it!
This machine has a broken part in the back and the carriage is separated from the rest of the machine. The restoration work will require addressing these two issues.
The decals on the sides towards the back, front, and back are in excellent condition. The top plate, front of the carriage, and top of the paper table have signs of use and paint loss.
As of July 2021, there is only one other 5 with Gorin tabulator on TWDB, a sighting from a museum:
https://typewriterdatabase.com/19xx-smith-premier-5.10067.typewriter
2021-07-11: I just took possession of the machine and added the serial, which allows dating this machine to 1907.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Erik Bruchez (ebruchez)
Erik Bruchez's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 11371
I started collecting my first pre-WW2 standard typewriters in 2017. Since then I have added a few machines to my collection, which now ranges from the 1880s to the 1980s. As of 2024, I have more big standard (desktop) typewriters than portables, a few standard electrics, and some unusual machines like Varitypers, uncommon IBM machines, and more. I am not a pro restorer, but I have restored a few of my machines beyond simple cleaning.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Smith Premier 5 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Smith Premier Serial Number page and the Smith Premier 5 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
