1961 Royal Royalite #RL-4811884

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Suzanne LaPierre (BookMouser)
Created: 10-27-2025 at 11:51AM
Last Edit: 10-30-2025 at 09:16AM

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Description:

I went to book club Friday night and a friend handed me this Royalite - without even asking me if I wanted it. Because of course I do. It was found by her neighbor in his mother's basement. The case is marked "Fran Harris" - always nice to know the original owner's name! The case and exterior are in very good condition, but there were a few problems under the hood. Some keys didn't strike strongly enough to make an impression, but a simple cleaning with mineral spirits helped. The key rest needed to be re-glued, so I took care of that. Most strange was the space bar- it had been pushed up so the rubber stoppers caught on the frame. It wouldn't work in this position but nudging it back to its proper position was all that was needed - now it works fine. The typewriter is fully functional now, but there are some wonky keys that don't seem to want to lay perfectly flat when resting. It may have been dropped at some point, thus the spacebar being in such an odd position. However, there are no dents or scrapes to suggest a hard fall. Even a small amount of TLC and a juicy new ribbon were enough to bring this Royalite to the point of producing a good type sample. It came with original spools.

This machine is a fun addition to my collection because it joins my red Royal Parade and blue Royal-made Singer Scholastic- all Royals manufactured in Holland in the 60's. Unlike my 1965 Parade and Scholastic, this one does not support multi-color ribbons. I gave it a purple one.

Please note: The serial number was very hard to see. I rubbed some paint stick into it, but some of the numbers are still barely visible. I have done my best to decipher what I think the full serial number is, but feel free to look at the photo and judge for yourself. Let me know if you think I am off!

Tips: Serial number under right side of carriage, on a bar facing inwards. If you find one of these with a case, be sure to check under the flap on the lid of the case. I didn't notice the original manual and ownership certificate were there until days later!

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Side view...

Top view, Royalite.

Under the hood/ ribbon spools.

Back view.

Royalite serial number (found under left side of carriage).

The mark on the slugs: "S/DP" - the DP stands for "Distinctive Pica." Apparently, this variation of Pica was made so that each character would take up the same amount of space. This may have been useful when filling in forms with blocks for each character? The capital "Q" is a good example of this - the tail is tucked underneath the letter like a little pedestal as opposed to projecting out the side.

Under the ribbon cover....

Royalite case.

Bottom of case - original owner name - Fran Harris.

Case candy! If you find one of these with a case, don't forget to look behind the flap on the lid of the case for manuals, etc.

The 1961 Royalite joins my 1964 Royal Parade and 1965 Singer Scholastic T4- all made in the Netherlands.

Hunter: Suzanne LaPierre (BookMouser)

Suzanne LaPierre's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 450

I am a librarian, artist, writer, and co-author of the book Desegregation in Northern Virginia Libraries (The History Press, 2023). If I'm working on a book or article for publication, I'm on a computer. However, I use my typewriters to create poems, type-doodles, and to write snail mail letters. The tactile nature of typing on a manual machine works some kind of detox magic in this digital age. Each vintage typewriter has a soul and a story. Currently my collection is centered around midcentury models.