1911 Erika 1 #4442

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 08-30-2026 at 03:05PM
Last Edit: 08-30-2026 at 03:22PM

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

Description:

2026-AUG-30, Gallery Creation.

This typewriter is from the Mike Meakin collection. Mike was the owner of Abacus Office Machines in Spokane, WA, which he started in 1961. Mike retired in 1992, leaving the operation of the business to his children. In addition to running a successful office machine business, Mike was an avid typewriter and adding machine collector, whose collection grew to over 450 machines over time. Mike passed away in 2025, and his children are now gradually selling off his collection. His daughter, Trudy, has graciously allowed me to create TWDB galleries for Mike's machines, to add to our knowledge base.

This Erika 1 portable was listed on eBay, and sold on 7/13/26. The description in the listing referenced the serial number as #4442. Unfortunately, no image of the serial number on the machine was provided in this instance.

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

• Previous Meakin gallery, Bar-Let Model 2 #53996 (1938)

Photos:

Top-down angled view.

Keyboard.

Carriage and print-point.

Top-down folded.

Top-down, type basket.

Type basket, closer view.

Front edge decal.

Underside, machine lifted to oblique angle.

Type basket detail from right.

Type basket oblique view from right.

Left-end keyboard detail.

Right-end keyboard detail.

Right broadside view.

Aft view.

Left carriage-end view.

Left broadside view.

Forward left corner.

eBay main listing page, showing sold status.

eBay sold listing page.

Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)

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

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 4596

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.