1936 Smith Premier Chum Portable #SV 420531
Status: Sightings
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 08-14-2026 at 03:30PM
Last Edit: 08-14-2026 at 06:55PM
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Description:
2026-AUG-14, Gallery Creation. After posting a gallery for a Smith Premier "Chum Portable" earlier today, I went on eBay in the evening to look and see if there were any other "Chums" I could find. To my surprise, I found a listing from Great Britain, for a Chum Portable that is very clearly different from the one in my earlier gallery, but which has an image of the Guarantee label under the case top cover with a clear image of the same serial number I had indicated earlier: SV 420531. I have messaged the seller of the other machine, which has already sold, to see if they will provide the proper serial number for that one. This serial number, SV 420531, indicates a March 1936 manufacture date, I believe.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 4273
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.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Smith Premier Chum Portable on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Smith Premier Serial Number page and the Smith Premier Chum Portable By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
