1917 Fox 24 #107271
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 12-21-2025 at 07:54PM
Last Edit: 12-21-2025 at 08:03PM
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Description:
This was the second of three Fox 24 typewriters that I acquired. Like the other two, this was an eBay acquisition in the early years of eBay. I won this in an eBay auction on February 7, 1999. My winning bid was $153.50, and shipping was $21.50, so my total cost was $175, making it the most I had ever paid for a typewriter until 2025, when I finally purchased another typewriter for the first time in 17.5 years.
This first posting date, December 21, 2025, is the first time ever that I have typed on this machine. I spent some quality time today doing in situ cleaning with a batch of standard bore cleaner I had mixed up about 10-12 years ago (1:1:1:1 acetone : automatic transmission fluid : kerosene : mineral spirits). I cleaned the type slugs multiple times, with bore cleaner, then acetone, then isopropyl alcohol, then acetone again, because they were very dirty. I got them clean enough to make a pretty good typing sample. The typebar alignment on this machine seems very good; the typeface appears to be standard Pica. I had the platen and feed rollers re-surfaced by Ames Supply Co. back in December of 2007, and I purchased a set of new feet for it from Bob Aubert (R.I.P.) when I visited him in his NJ home in 2008. So, this machine is a good candidate for a full-up restoration.
A couple more things to note about this machine: First, it has a latest patent date of May 12, 1914, even though the serial number (107271) suggests a manufacture date in 1917, per this database. I know that the Fox company entered into some difficulties shortly after the start of WWI, so maybe that was it for patents applicable to Fox 24 machines. Second, the keyset includes one "7/8" key, but no other "x/8" keys (i.e., no 3/8 or 5/8, as on my Fox 24 #75096). I wonder if there was a special utility for a "7/8" key back then?
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 690
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. I still have my collection of around 57 machines, and now I have a renewed interest in getting some of them in good working and cosmetic order.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Fox 24 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Fox Serial Number page and the Fox 24 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
