1939 Oliver (Italy) Portable 6 #133122
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Mark Schrad (MLSchrad)
Created: 07-06-2024 at 10:58AM
Last Edit: 07-06-2024 at 11:11AM
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Description:
This Italian-made, Czech-language Oliver was manufactured by Società Industriale Meccanica (SIM) of Turin, Italy around 1939. It was also the first typewriter I've ever brought home in my luggage on a trans-Atlantic flight, having purchased it in Prague, Czechia, in June of 2024 (to commemorate my son, Oliver's first trip to Czechia.)
After teaching my study-abroad class, I headed out on a mini adventure to track it down in a suburb south of town. Transit was wonky, and when I got off the tram, Maps directed me down a narrow path in a heavily wooded area going up one of the steep slopes of the Vlatava River valley.
Eventually I did find the seller, Ján, who didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Czech particularly well. I gathered that this was his mother’s typewriter and it was kept in immaculate shape. (His collecting passion was antique coffee grinders, which I can appreciate.) He wanted to know what nationality was the Oliver company. I did my best to explain in oversimplified terms that it started as an American company, and then British, and then Italian and German.
Ján said that I needn’t have hiked up the hillside, and that there are better ways to the metro. I said I needed the exercise on account of all of the delicious Czech beer, and we had a good laugh.
On the way home, I got to take some shots alongside the Vlatava near Vyšehrad Castle, which is where I teach anyway. The machine is glorious, with barely a speck of dust on it. Definitely a great add to the collection, and a fun typewriter-hunting story to go with it.
Once I got it home, I was able to bring out the mirror-like shine. Truly a remarkable machine.
Typeface Specimen:
Photos:
Hunter: Mark Schrad (MLSchrad)
Mark Schrad's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 27802
Professor of Political Science and Director of Russian Area Studies at Villanova University. Writes about alcohol politics, Russia, and international law when not refurbishing old typewriters.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Oliver (Italy) Portable 6 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Oliver (Italy) Serial Number page and the Oliver (Italy) Portable 6 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
