1918 Regina 4 #17514
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Mark Schrad (MLSchrad)
Created: 04-19-2022 at 04:11PM
Last Edit: 04-19-2022 at 04:11PM
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Description:
I got this 1918 Regina 4 in Collegeville, PA in March of 2022. It was built by Schilling & Krämer, in Suhl, Thüringen in the waning days of the German Empire in WWI. The wartime setting probably helps explain all of the "Deutsche Reichs-Patente" decals, which don't appear to be so ubiquitous on non-wartime Reginas.
It was sold at Crasselt "Am Knie," 111 Bismarckstraße. Am Knie was apparently a pre-war square in the Charlottenburg section of Berlin.
How it got to the USA, I do not know. The seller only said that it belonged to her grandfather, who was an auctioneer in Nashville, TN, and this was one of the items he kept for a long, long time.
It wasn't in great shape when I got it, but decided to clean it up and return it to functionality, without a complete teardown, re-paint and rebuild. It has 45 keys/90 characters, and the convenient flip-up carriage for cleaning access. I got rid of much of the surface rust, while still retaining the patina. It works surprisingly well--like a German-made Underwood, which is exactly what it is. Though every time I use the backspace key, I feel like I'm signaling a right-hand turn.
Typeface Specimen:
Photos:
Hunter: Mark Schrad (MLSchrad)
Mark Schrad's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 33602
Professor of Political Science and Director of Russian Area Studies at Villanova University. Writes about alcohol politics, Russia, and international law when not refurbishing old typewriters.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Regina 4 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Regina Serial Number page and the Regina 4 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
