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1956 Olympia SM3 Serial # 751868 1956 Olympia SM3 typewriter, Serial # 751868 Paul Seitz's 1956 Olympia SM3 typewriter. 2018-08-21 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Paul Seitz: 1956 Olympia SM3 Serial # 751868 Purchased for $15, this typewriter had been in a rural garage for many, many, years. As expected, the keybars were sluggish and one, in particular, was so stuck as to suggest a possible linkage issue. But every other feature - margins, tabs, carriage, etc., worked perfectly despite the grunge. Happily, after a heavy cleaning, the keybars now return as they should and the type is clear and well aligned.

I'm lucky enough to have a 1971 SM9, which I love, but this 1956 SM3 has a romance about it that pulls me back into memories of typing English Literature essays in high school. Time will tell if either emerges as the favorite, or if they share the stage equally.

Sadly, the case was long gone (why it was so grunged, of course) and I don't know if I'll ever find one I can afford. But this is one of those machines that just WANTS to work, and I'm glad to have it up and running for years to come.

1956 Olympia SM3 #751868

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Paul Seitz (pstype)
Created: 08-15-2018 at 09:18AM
Last Edit: 08-21-2018 at 12:31PM

Description Hunter 6 Photos 2 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

Purchased for $15, this typewriter had been in a rural garage for many, many, years. As expected, the keybars were sluggish and one, in particular, was so stuck as to suggest a possible linkage issue. But every other feature - margins, tabs, carriage, etc., worked perfectly despite the grunge. Happily, after a heavy cleaning, the keybars now return as they should and the type is clear and well aligned.

I'm lucky enough to have a 1971 SM9, which I love, but this 1956 SM3 has a romance about it that pulls me back into memories of typing English Literature essays in high school. Time will tell if either emerges as the favorite, or if they share the stage equally.

Sadly, the case was long gone (why it was so grunged, of course) and I don't know if I'll ever find one I can afford. But this is one of those machines that just WANTS to work, and I'm glad to have it up and running for years to come.

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Hunter: Paul Seitz (pstype)

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After too many rapid cross country moves, I realized suddenly that my c. 1964 Hermes 3000 was missing - lost or stolen at some point in a move. I'd bought that machine new from a shop as I entered high school, did all my homework on it, typed all my college research papers and my Master's thesis on it, but gradually used it less and less over the years. Still, the sudden realization that it was gone felt like a really significant loss, which puzzled me. Wondering why I was so moved by the loss of something I hadn't actually used in years, I began to get more and more interested in typewriters and the many layers of stories each seems to accumulate. I started to learn a little - just enough to have a chance to find some good machines that I can afford, as I gradually try to understand the (apparently, important) place of the typewriter in my soul.


RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Olympia SM3 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olympia Serial Number page and the Olympia SM3 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.

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