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1931 Bar-Let 1 Serial # 2317 1931 Bar-Let 1 typewriter, Serial # 2317 Javier Vazquez del Olmo's 1931 Bar-Let 1 typewriter. 2015-06-25 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Javier Vazquez del Olmo: 1931 Bar-Let 1 Serial # 2317 I have mixed feelings about this little guy.

I´m very happy with it because this is an early Bar-Let, dating from the very first year of production. In addition it looks great, but there is a very big issue with it: it doesn´t work and I´m not sure whether it will type again or not.

If you look at the photos you can see the broken carriage support. My best option is having it welded by my uncle and then the typewriter sent to my friend for many and sundry repairs.

Apart from that, this machine is an interesting crossover. Looks a bit like a toy, but at the same time there´s something quite tough in it. For some reason people around me compare it to the Corona 3, but I think it´s like comparing a bycicle (the Corona 3) with a small car (the Bar-Let).

--- UPDATE ---

There have been some advances with the story of this typewriter. As Jack Beemsterboer says (big thanks!), the Nottingham based Bar-Lock company took over the original Bar-Lock, but the origin of this model is not theirs. In fact, the Bar-Let is basically the same machine as the Mitex, wich was produced in Berlin in 1922 before the name was changed to Tell. The production in Germany lasted until 1926, but at the beginning of the 30´s the model started to be marketed as Bar-Let.

The Bar-Let is a simple machine. It was designed to be easy to maintain and quick to assemble as well. In fact, most of the operations at the factory required little time. All in all, the Mitex / Tell was far from being a success, and the Bar-Let suffered more or less the same fate. Little more than 50.000 units sold in a decade, but what a decade with the great depression. The Bar-Let lived interesting times, indeed

1931 Bar-Let 1 #2317

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 06-24-2015 at 04:14AM
Last Edit: 06-25-2015 at 03:14AM


Description:

I have mixed feelings about this little guy.

I´m very happy with it because this is an early Bar-Let, dating from the very first year of production. In addition it looks great, but there is a very big issue with it: it doesn´t work and I´m not sure whether it will type again or not.

If you look at the photos you can see the broken carriage support. My best option is having it welded by my uncle and then the typewriter sent to my friend for many and sundry repairs.

Apart from that, this machine is an interesting crossover. Looks a bit like a toy, but at the same time there´s something quite tough in it. For some reason people around me compare it to the Corona 3, but I think it´s like comparing a bycicle (the Corona 3) with a small car (the Bar-Let).

--- UPDATE ---

There have been some advances with the story of this typewriter. As Jack Beemsterboer says (big thanks!), the Nottingham based Bar-Lock company took over the original Bar-Lock, but the origin of this model is not theirs. In fact, the Bar-Let is basically the same machine as the Mitex, wich was produced in Berlin in 1922 before the name was changed to Tell. The production in Germany lasted until 1926, but at the beginning of the 30´s the model started to be marketed as Bar-Let.

The Bar-Let is a simple machine. It was designed to be easy to maintain and quick to assemble as well. In fact, most of the operations at the factory required little time. All in all, the Mitex / Tell was far from being a success, and the Bar-Let suffered more or less the same fate. Little more than 50.000 units sold in a decade, but what a decade with the great depression. The Bar-Let lived interesting times, indeed

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:









Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)

Javier Vazquez del Olmo's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6476

The first typewriter I saw was my grandpa´s Olivetti Linea 98 at the office. It was just a curio for me. Then I was given a Nakajima, which I didn´t use and my grandfather took it from me because it was easier to handle than the bulky Linea 98. Now I own that typewriter, and I started a little collection in Valladolid, Spain. The Nakajima, which is "my" typewriter only returned home in 2017, almost 20 years later, when he wanted a better typewriter.

A collection that started small grew into something bigger, a nuisace for my family and a great source of satisfaction for me.



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