1940 Underwood DeLuxe Leader #E1385094
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Kevin Nutt (kmnutt)
Created: 09-01-2025 at 05:07PM
Last Edit: 09-02-2025 at 07:02AM
Find on Ebay #AD
Find on Etsy #AD
Description:
Date of Purchase: 08/31/2025
Place of Purchase: Ijamsville, MD
This was a Facebook Marketplace purchase.
The seller ("Suzanne") had introduced her grandchildren to this typewriter as part of playtime.
The typewriter had been her mothers, and believes it had been in the family before her mother received it.
As with most typewriters of this age, the platen is rock-hard, and the feet are brittle. However, the typewriter is in very nice condition (a few rotated key icons).
The irony is this is called "DeLuxe", when there are things missing like a bell, paper support, margin stop and release, automatic ribbon reverse, et. al.
Maybe it's the Tuxedo vibes those stripes give this machine that make it "DeLuxe". They are certainly what pulled me in.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Kevin Nutt (kmnutt)
Kevin Nutt's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 652
With nearly three decades in information technology and over twenty years specializing in cybersecurity, I bring a unique perspective to typewriter collecting that bridges the digital and mechanical worlds. As the son of a farmer-turned-chemical engineer, I inherited both my father's hands-on problem-solving mindset and his deep curiosity about how things work.
Growing up under his guidance, I learned to build, repair, and tinker. This experience gave me a lasting appreciation for mechanical ingenuity and ultimately led me to typewriters. I'm fascinated by their intricate mechanisms and rich history, and by the role these remarkable machines played in transforming human communication long before the digital era.
When not working on typewriters, I love working with my hands on various projects: building custom mechanical keyboards, creating miniatures, building furniture, or other hands-on creative work that captures my attention.
Based in Central Pennsylvania less than 10 miles from the famous Olivetti-Underwood Factory in Harrisburg, PA, I've found the region to be a fruitful source of vintage machines - and so my collection keeps growing.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Underwood DeLuxe Leader on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Underwood Serial Number page and the Underwood DeLuxe Leader By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
