1938 Underwood Student #S1133136
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Jonas Lauritsen (legofanatikeren)
Created: 03-08-2026 at 01:47AM
Last Edit: 03-08-2026 at 02:41AM
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Description:
Found this machine by chance while online browsing other flea market items, and since I was getting some stuff shipped anyway, I added this for about 20 extra USD, so I'd say this was a pretty fine deal.
It was listed as just "underwood" with no model, and I can see why, when I got it there was no model listed anywhere on it, so it took some digging (more on that in a minute) to figure out what I got my hands on here.
There was a post-it note on the case when it arrived, saying it's broken and to be cautious when picking it up. Before getting too alarmed, it was aimed at the case itself, which is missing a hinge (broken off) so the machine itself was probably fine (not listed as a defect, at the time, anyway...)
The spools contain a black, dry, ribbon, and the spools themselves are interesting to me; right side is a plastic DIN 203 universal spool that don't actually fit entirely into the driving pin that forces the spool to rotate - instead the whole spool is hovering above said pin. It is clearly a replacement.
The left side spool is metal, and I assumed at first it was an original, but later during cleaning and inspection, I realized it too did not fit onto the driving pin itself, leaving it sitting on top of said pin just as the right side spool. The reason I didn't immediately notice these issues is that, well, they don't cause any issues; both spools drive round as needed (probably due to friction with the main pin) and there is just enough space between the spool holders and the roof of the top-cover (hinged design, by the way, very cool) that the spools are not impeded in nay way that I can tell.
So it all works out, somehow.
Danish Keyboard, with no "1" or "!", which could be a product of its time, the concessions of the Danish keys, or a budget decision. In hindsight, probably all of the above.
At this stage I spot the S/N behind the LS spool holder on the frame of the basket itself.
And I also observe the following traits:
* The outer portion of the carriage return lever is spring-loaded
* There is no bell in this machine (unsure if defect/missing part or by design at this stage)
* There is a left side margin, but no right side margin, and this is clearly by design and not a defect/missing part
* A switch on the lower right side of the machine body switches rotation direction of spools and can manually spool each side as desired.
* No colour switch anywhere - probably why it was fitted with black ribbon.
Armed with these specific features, and further noting the shape of the cutout of the topcover, and the shape of the cutout for the space bar, glass keys, hinged cover, and the green design of the backspace on the top left, I go through the typewriter database to see which one(s) one of the many, many models on here matches with my specific machine.
The colour change features and the spring-loaded carriage lever turned out to be the most prominent features that stood out, and in the end I found that I had gotten my grubby paws on an Underwood Student from 1938. Not too shabby. Mayhaps the S in the serial number also displays this?
It also turned out, that the Student machine in it's last few years underwent a bit of a makeover, so I'm lucky I stumbled onto the design that I had first, instead of seeing it's evolved form and discarding it...
At one of the last stages of cleaning I find that the front left foot is missing entirely. Ths just won't do. About 5-7 iterations later depending on counting, I have a 3D modelled and printed foot that slides in place and still work with the built-in pins in the carriage box. Link at the bottom if you're interested, it probably works for other Underwood models like the Champion since there are a bunch of similar designs from that time period.
A fine machine with no functional defects - although i must mention that another user noted there is no mechanics stopping you from printing more characters once you reach the end of the carriage - coupled with no bell, this can be a bit annoying I'd imagine.
link to the 3D foot below.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Jonas Lauritsen (legofanatikeren)
Jonas Lauritsen's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 1158
Casual collector of replica flintlock pistols, and in that same vein, picked up a couple of typewriters through the years - as a mechanical engineer, I could not resist.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Underwood Student on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Underwood Serial Number page and the Underwood Student By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
