1923 Underwood Portable 3 Bank #68220

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 10-01-2026 at 03:25AM
Last Edit: 10-01-2026 at 04:05AM

Description Hunter 22 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

2026-OCT-01, Gallery Creation.

This typewriter is from the Mike Meakin collection. Mike was the owner of Abacus Office Machines in Spokane, WA, which he started in 1961. Mike retired in 1992, leaving the operation of the business to his children. In addition to running a successful office machine business, Mike was an avid typewriter and adding machine collector, whose collection grew to over 450 machines over time. Mike passed away in 2025, and his children are now gradually selling off his collection. His daughter, Trudy, has graciously allowed me to create TWDB galleries for Mike's machines, to add to our knowledge base.

This 3-bank Underwood portable is the 61st Meakin gallery I have added to TWDB. It was listed on eBay yesterday, 9-30-2026, and is still available as of this gallery creation.

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

• Previous Meakin gallery (60th), Cole Steel Portable #3-155659 (1960)
• Next Meakin gallery (62nd), Underwood 4-bank portable #4B73289 (1927)

Photos:

Front view, low-angle perspective.

Top-down view from front.

Top-down view from behind, showing basket of type-bars.

Type slug for H-h-&.

Low-angle front view, with typing sample inserted.

Front view, left-tilt, paper inserted.

Front edge decal.

Top right of keyboard, showing ribbon color/stencil selector.

Top-right of keyboard area, showing serial number location.

Serial number.

Platen and paper table.

Right carriage-end.

Left carriage-end.

Right broadside.

Aft.

Aft, 2nd image.

Left broadside.

Underside.

Typewriter on top of case.

Case front.

Case top, underside.

eBay main listing page.

Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)

Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6720

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.