193X Iberia B #XXXXXXXXXXX
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 08-24-2022 at 06:40AM
Last Edit: 08-24-2022 at 06:41AM
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Description:
Merry Christmas! Enjoy this!
This has to be the worst case of destroyed typewriter during shipping I've experienced so far. And on Christmas, which counts as a critical hit.
I got this Iberia knowing it needed some atention (replacing the drawband, cleaning and little else), but when I opened the box it was time to go back to the drawing table. The body is broken almost in every place that can be broken, and this can't be repaired. Soldering / welding is out of the question, and while I'd be more or less OK with the broken front frame, the carriage supports are too much. This typewriter must have been dropped really hard. At least the seller and me teamed up and managed to get a full refund by Correos (the Spanish postal service) after thoroughly documenting how the typewriter left its former home and how it arrived. In order to make it more Christmas-like, we agreed that if this shipment had not gone exactly well, maybe if we make a 4-typewriter haul things would go better.
As for the typewriter itself, the Iberia is an interesting machine. Manufactured in Barcelona, at first it was known for the poor quality of the materials used. A reason for that was that production started shortly after or maybe even during the Spanish Civil War (1936 - 1939), can't tell for sure. The first series of Iberias have aged quite badly, but this machine belongs to the later series, which fortunately is more solid. The model seems to be a copy / interpretation of the Contin, which at least sheds some light on its origins but leaves behind a lot of questions about Contin, who apparently had a standard model of their own upon which the Iberia is based, and a portable which is basically a Remington Portable.
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.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Iberia B on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Iberia Serial Number page and the Iberia B By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
