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1960 Antares Compact Serial # C - 293985 - 051 1960 Antares Compact typewriter, Serial # C - 293985 - 051 Javier Vazquez del Olmo's 1960 Antares Compact typewriter. 2019-06-26 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Javier Vazquez del Olmo: 1960 Antares Compact Serial # C - 293985 - 051 I like this thing. It's a fairly "meh" typewriter, not too good but not bad either.

I got it for almost nothing (can't remember exactly, but it was less than 5 euros), and it worked. It needs a bit more cleaning, but the typewriter is alive. The bad part is the lack of case, though.

What I like of this typewriter is the inside. Everything is well placed and looks good. To a certain extent it follows the design principles of two of the greatest ultra portables ever: Olivetti Lettera 22 (or Hispano Olivetti Pluma 22 if you're from Spain) and its successor the Lettera 32: Make it light and make it work. It´'s not as solid as these, but Antares managed to produce a nice typewriter. But here comes the brand mess. The first specimen of this typewriter I got is labelled Underwood 19. This puts it after Olivetti acquired Underwood. Now this specimen is an Antares Compact, and according to the s/n it was produced before Olivetti ate Underwood. The problem? Actually it's only problematic for my previous knowledge of the model, or lack thereof. According to Pascual (former assembly line chief of the Hispano Olivetti plant in Barcelona), what Antares did was producing models designed by Olivetti. I found it a bit difficult to digest because I had an Antares 20S Efficiency which looked nowhere near like an Olivetti of any knid. Then there came the Underwood (Olivetti) 19, which again doesn't look like any Olivetti of the time. But then here comes the same machine with its true name: Antares. Now it looks like this design came from the desks of Antares, but there must be some kind of agreement between Olivetti and them because Olivetti was selling Antares machinery labelled as Underwood! Can anyone shed a bit of light on this?

1960 Antares Compact #C - 293985 - 051

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 06-26-2019 at 10:07AM
Last Edit: 06-26-2019 at 10:11AM

Description Hunter 9 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

I like this thing. It's a fairly "meh" typewriter, not too good but not bad either.

I got it for almost nothing (can't remember exactly, but it was less than 5 euros), and it worked. It needs a bit more cleaning, but the typewriter is alive. The bad part is the lack of case, though.

What I like of this typewriter is the inside. Everything is well placed and looks good. To a certain extent it follows the design principles of two of the greatest ultra portables ever: Olivetti Lettera 22 (or Hispano Olivetti Pluma 22 if you're from Spain) and its successor the Lettera 32: Make it light and make it work. It´'s not as solid as these, but Antares managed to produce a nice typewriter. But here comes the brand mess. The first specimen of this typewriter I got is labelled Underwood 19. This puts it after Olivetti acquired Underwood. Now this specimen is an Antares Compact, and according to the s/n it was produced before Olivetti ate Underwood. The problem? Actually it's only problematic for my previous knowledge of the model, or lack thereof. According to Pascual (former assembly line chief of the Hispano Olivetti plant in Barcelona), what Antares did was producing models designed by Olivetti. I found it a bit difficult to digest because I had an Antares 20S Efficiency which looked nowhere near like an Olivetti of any knid. Then there came the Underwood (Olivetti) 19, which again doesn't look like any Olivetti of the time. But then here comes the same machine with its true name: Antares. Now it looks like this design came from the desks of Antares, but there must be some kind of agreement between Olivetti and them because Olivetti was selling Antares machinery labelled as Underwood! Can anyone shed a bit of light on this?

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:


A really flat typewriter. Easy to carry around, if only I had the case.
A really flat typewriter. Easy to carry around, if only I had the case.





This ribbon selector is just great. It'd be better if I had celaned it properly and the photo weren't that bad, but it's a good example of clever engineering with good looks.
This ribbon selector is just great. It'd be better if I had celaned it properly and the photo weren't that bad, but it's a good example of clever engineering with good looks.


This S/N has some information. The "C" prefix is for the Antares Compact, and the "U" prefix for the Underwood 19. Same machine, different brand, different prefix
This S/N has some information. The "C" prefix is for the Antares Compact, and the "U" prefix for the Underwood 19. Same machine, different brand, different prefix

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

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