1919 Oliver 9 #740020
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 01-17-2026 at 03:37PM
Last Edit: 01-17-2026 at 04:03PM
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Description:
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: 1440
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 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.
