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Home » Olympia » SM4 » 1959 #1510890
1959 Olympia SM4 Serial # 1510890 1959 Olympia SM4 typewriter, Serial # 1510890 Fumitaka Hayashi's 1959 Olympia SM4 typewriter. 2026-07-13 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Fumitaka Hayashi: 1959 Olympia SM4 Serial # 1510890 An Olympia SM4

Bought this locally off of Facebook Marketplace, mainly because the price was low, and I wanted to rescue it.

Cosmetically it is rough, likely due to having been separated from its case some time ago. There is some surface rust, but nothing was broken or missing.

It had the typical degraded body spacers which caused the carriage to get stuck somewhere in the middle of travel. Once I replaced the spacers, the problem with the carriage went away. It also had the typical sticky typebars which loosened up with mineral spirits. However, one typebar ("J") remained sticky. It only loosened up when I did some slight adjustment of the slot in the segment.

There is some liquid paper on the crinkle paint, which seems impossible to remove, and there's some rusting, and a missing screw. However, it is functional, and not bad for having lost its case.

A Facebook Marketplace acquisition. The deal was made in the parking lot of a Chinese buffet in New City, NY.

1959 Olympia SM4 #1510890

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Fumitaka Hayashi (fhayashi)
Created: 07-13-2026 at 05:38PM
Last Edit: 07-13-2026 at 05:39PM

Description Hunter 7 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

An Olympia SM4

Bought this locally off of Facebook Marketplace, mainly because the price was low, and I wanted to rescue it.

Cosmetically it is rough, likely due to having been separated from its case some time ago. There is some surface rust, but nothing was broken or missing.

It had the typical degraded body spacers which caused the carriage to get stuck somewhere in the middle of travel. Once I replaced the spacers, the problem with the carriage went away. It also had the typical sticky typebars which loosened up with mineral spirits. However, one typebar ("J") remained sticky. It only loosened up when I did some slight adjustment of the slot in the segment.

There is some liquid paper on the crinkle paint, which seems impossible to remove, and there's some rusting, and a missing screw. However, it is functional, and not bad for having lost its case.

A Facebook Marketplace acquisition. The deal was made in the parking lot of a Chinese buffet in New City, NY.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

#97, which is plain old Pica
#97, which is plain old Pica

The photo looks better than the actual thing.
The photo looks better than the actual thing.

This shows some of the cosmetic issues, with mild surface rust on the paper table and all sorts of discoloration on the right side of the ribbon cover.
This shows some of the cosmetic issues, with mild surface rust on the paper table and all sorts of discoloration on the right side of the ribbon cover.


Can't see it here, but this side of the ribbon cover is discolored.
Can't see it here, but this side of the ribbon cover is discolored.

The back is in fair condition.
The back is in fair condition.

The feet were in surprisingly good shape.
The feet were in surprisingly good shape.

Hunter: Fumitaka Hayashi (fhayashi)

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RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Olympia SM4 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olympia Serial Number page and the Olympia SM4 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.

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