191x Yost 20 #KM00370
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Erik Bruchez (ebruchez)
Created: 02-02-2021 at 05:54PM
Last Edit: 06-29-2024 at 05:58PM
Description:
This is a Yost 20 with Swiss QWERTZ keyboard I won at an online auction. The keyboard is designed for the French language, with keys for é, è, ç, à, ù, and a dead key for "^" and the trema. Interestingly, the basckspace key is labeled in English ("BACK SPACE"), while the margin release is labeled in French ("RELACHE DE LA MARGE"). The shift keys are labeled "MAJUSCULES" and "MAJUSCULES (FIXES)". 3 keys have yellowed differently: "3/*", "ù/%", and "=/!".
This is a front-strike machine that was made much later than the Yost upstrikes, The Yost 20 was made between 1912 and 1924.
This machine has a nice grasshopper mechanism. The typebars rest on a pad that is supposed to be inked. There is no ribbon system in this machine!
This instance came with a nice wooden base and a metal cover. It will need cleaning but it is functional.
The platen assembly comes off easily just by pivoting it and pulling it out.
It features a "column selector" style tabulator with 4 positions. This machine appears to have only 3 of the tab stops instead of 4.
The serial is on the frame: KM00370. The only other serial in this database is TC50070. We need to collect more serials to see if we can figure out anything about them. Given that the serial appears to be on the low side (although it's just a guess, as the letter prefix could indicate a year or something else), I am changing the decade to 1910.
- 2022-08-09: The cover is now reunited with the machine, which still awaits cleaning/minor restoration!
- 2024-06: The machine is mostly restored.
- 2024-06-30: New pictures and links. I wrote a new blog post about restoring the machine.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
- The Antikey Chop's page on Yost machines
- Photos of the cover
- Photo album: Yost 20 (191x) - Part 1
- Photo album: Yost 20 (191x) - Packing and shipping
- Photo album: Yost 20 (191x) - Restoration in progress
- Photo album: Yost 20 (191x) - Restored
- Blog post: A tale of typewriter shipping
- Blog post: A typewriter shipping update
- Blog post: Restoring a Yost 20 Typewriter
Photos:
Hunter: Erik Bruchez (ebruchez)
Erik Bruchez's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 11371
I started collecting my first pre-WW2 standard typewriters in 2017. Since then I have added a few machines to my collection, which now ranges from the 1880s to the 1980s. As of 2024, I have more big standard (desktop) typewriters than portables, a few standard electrics, and some unusual machines like Varitypers, uncommon IBM machines, and more. I am not a pro restorer, but I have restored a few of my machines beyond simple cleaning.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Yost 20 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Yost Serial Number page and the Yost 20 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.