1919 Oliver 9 #740020
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 01-17-2026 at 03:37PM
Last Edit: 01-31-2026 at 04:14PM
Find on Ebay #AD
Find on Etsy #AD
Description:
1-31-2026 Update. I got this machine all together, made a complete typing sample for the first time ever (for me), and captured a lot of new images of the fully assembled machine. Along the way, I also learned a lot about how Oliver 3-bank typewriters work. I had to address a broken main spring; fortunately, I did not have to heat the end, since I don't have a butane torch handy. Someone in the past seems to have twisted the spring into a sigmoid pattern, which provided a new surface for the split rod that holds the spring.
1-17-2026 - Date of gallery creation. This is one of my two Oliver typewriters (the other is a Model 3, S/N 87205; see linked gallery). It is also one of the first two typewriters I purchased from Bob Aubert (along with Royal Model 5 #114031-5; see linked gallery) in September of 1998, my first full year of collecting. Bob got $50 each for this Oliver 9 Printype and the Royal 5, plus $20 for shipping both to me. Both machines are complete and restorable, with a significant investment of "sweat equity" as Bob put it. The Oliver's decals are very nice (well, decent, anyway), and its rust problems are typical for Oliver typewriters: i.e., rust is there, but not so extreme as to render the machine a lost cause.
I have had the carriage off this machine for at least a dozen years. My most recent typewriter notebook has some activity listed for dates in September-October of 2013, but no mention of the Oliver. The previous activity before that had been in 2006-2009. Now, I thought I would at least create the gallery for this machine, as I'm starting to work on it again. My first objective is to get it all back together again, in a cleaner state, then create a typing sample. Eventually, I hope to do a better and more complete restoration and have the rubber parts redone. The only new(-ish) rubber parts are the feet, courtesy of Bob Aubert, circa late 2008 when I visited him and bought a number of typewriter supplies from him (mostly feet).
Per the serial number ranges shown for Oliver Model 9 in TWDB, the most likely manufacture date seems to me to be some time in early 1919.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
- Gallery for Royal 5 #114031-5, purchased at the same time from Bob Aubert.
- Gallery for my other Oliver machine, Model 3 #87205
Photos:
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 2296
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.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Oliver 9 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Oliver Serial Number page and the Oliver 9 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
