1933 Royal 10 #KSX-1576345
Status: Sightings
Hunter: James Grooms (jgrooms)
Created: 11-22-2024 at 05:59AM
Last Edit: 11-22-2024 at 06:23AM

Description:
Some crowdsourcing on the aborted K series. Royal goes to segment shift in 1931. This is in the middle of the Great Depression. Sales of their high margin standard dropped 67% in 1932 right when you'd imagine they would have a price increase for a significantly more complex and feature rich machine. Next up they must have had the keyset tab in the pipe and another increase in their manufacturing cost was added on in the midst of a global economic meltdown. So a solid theory would be they couldn't move them and went back to S models without the keyset tab mechanism.
The economy recovers and they release the H/KH/KHM and by 1937 sales have improved six fold over the 1933 nosedive. In addition, Royal had pulled nearly even with Underwood, who in 1928 had sold twice as many standard machines. It will only get worse, as they have no competitive answer for the KMM.
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Hunter: James Grooms (jgrooms)
James Grooms's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 12202
As with many, the bug is back there somewhere due to an Underwood No. 5. My grandparents had a No 5. My parents had a yellow Royal Safari that I used to index card everything, including a beer can collection. Collection syndrome clue! A casual interest in typewriters started with a garage sale 3 bank simply because it said Underwood on it. Typewriters were found here and there , but I wasn't actively looking for them. The long dormant collecting tic was activated when my neighbors left a Remington Quiet Riter on the curb when they moved.
Typewriters are the perfect blend of using one's technical skills, history and functional purpose. My goal is type tested machines. My interests are not isolated to anyone area. For example, I am a big fan of Smith Corona electrics, mid century electrics and all things Royal.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Royal 10 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Royal Serial Number page and the Royal 10 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.