1960 Cole Steel Portable #3-155659

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 09-30-2026 at 07:15PM
Last Edit: 09-30-2026 at 07:30PM

Description Hunter 18 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

2026-SEP-30, Gallery Creation.

This typewriter is from the Mike Meakin collection. Mike was the owner of Abacus Office Machines in Spokane, WA, which he started in 1961. Mike retired in 1992, leaving the operation of the business to his children. In addition to running a successful office machine business, Mike was an avid typewriter and adding machine collector, whose collection grew to over 450 machines over time. Mike passed away in 2025, and his children are now gradually selling off his collection. His daughter, Trudy, has graciously allowed me to create TWDB galleries for Mike's machines, to add to our knowledge base.

This Cole Steel portable is the 60th Meakin gallery I have added to TWDB. It was listed on eBay today, and is still available as of this gallery creation.

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

• Previous Meakin gallery (59th), Royal "P" portable #P209688 (1930)

Photos:

Front main view with machine in case.

Front view, with ribbon spool cover off.

Original Cole Steel right ribbon spool.

Original Cole Steel left ribbon spool.

Type basket, showing "93" foundry marks on type slugs.

Right-side view, with ribbon spool cover off.

Close-up view of serial number.

Aft.

Cole Steel badge on ribbon spool cover.

Machine partly concealed by case top.

Case.

Cole Steel sticker, inside top case lid.

Cole Steel sticker, inside top case lid, detail.

Dean Meakin, son of Mike Meakin, typing on the Cole Steel.

Detail showing good typing form of Dean Meakin.

Typing sample in progress.

Another typing sample.

eBay main listing page.

Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)

Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6675

My interest in typewriters started in 1997, when I was in graduate school at the University of Georgia. I purchased and read Darryl Rehr's book, joined ETC, and started reaching out to known collectors. I had several email interchanges with Richard Polt dating from that period. I also bought some of my first machines from Bob Aubert, and visited him at his home twice. After marriage and relocation to New England, I continued visiting antique shops and eBay, until other priorities put my typewriter hobby on hiatus around 2008.

In late 2024, I started up again, working on my machines and having some of them serviced professionally by New England Typewriter (NET) LLC (Merrimack, NH), until they closed their doors in December of 2025. Since mid-2025, I have been adding to my collection again, first with a Hermes 3000 purchase from NET, then with various auctions and purchases on eBay, when I find something that catches my eye.