1964 Sears Cutlass #6ASP 103936
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Chris Aldrich (chrisaldrich)
Created: 12-25-2025 at 09:18PM
Last Edit: 12-25-2025 at 10:38PM
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Description:
2025-12-25 A red typewriter for Christmas! And it was hiding the uncommon Sears Futura typeface (aka Smith-Corona Numode No. 61) for its American 88 No. 423 keyboard which also features the Change-A-Type functionality. (Sadly it'll be a slog to try to find matching Numode typeface slugs to match, though some of my math slugs may work well.) This means that it meets my current collector's criteria for an interesting model I don't already have as well as an uncommon typeface.
I've been on the hunt for one of these for over two years and always lost out in online auctions which generally went in for $150-200 in part because of the hot reddish/burgundy paint job with white racing stripes and the fact that Taylor Swift used this model in her All Too Well: The Short Film (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tollGa3S0o8). In the last two years I've only seen three of these on ShopGoodwill, so they don't pop up often. Many of the online auctions where they went for a few hundred on ShopGoodwill.com had them being relisted by flippers on eBay in the $600-800 range within two weeks (likely with no cleaning or restoration work). I've seen prices for them on eBay for $1,000 and over.
This one is in generally exceptional shape and works well out of the box. The shop it came from (or the prior owner) was definitely on the liberal side with their lubrication. It's missing one of the two carriage release levers, which is extremely common on the 6-series models which used plastic which apparently brittled with age. I'll give it a once over to touch up some of the dirtier parts and make some subtle adjustments but will probably hold off on a major overhaul at the moment. The platen is solid and plastic-y feeling. It definitely needs an upgrade on this front.
This model seems to bridge the gap between the 5 series Smith-Coronas into the 60s and the 6 series machines like the Galaxie. It's a top-of-the-line model with the keyboard tabulator and the hood hinges up and back like the 5 series rather than sliding like the 6. I don't have one, but I would suspect it's closest to the Sterling 5AX Series which started in 1963. It's also got a great little paragraph indent button for use at the beginning of new paragraphs. I look forward to seeing how they implemented this feature mechanically.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Chris Aldrich (chrisaldrich)
Chris Aldrich's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 1276
Hello! I’m a Johns Hopkins trained biomedical and electrical engineer with a variety of interests in the entertainment industry, information theory, evolution, big history, genetics, signal processing, transgenetics, translational medicine, and theoretical mathematics. I’m a strong advocate of the IndieWeb movement.
I have a love for analog office equipment including library card catalogs and typewriters. As of March 2025, I've got a segment of 45 typewriters, mostly portable and manual models along with several Royal standards, a Remington Standard, and one SMC typebar electric. I have been learning how to completely overhaul all of the machines in my collection, all of which work well aside from one or two machines which need some parts. I have a burgeoning collection of typewriter tools for continually repairing, maintaining, and upgrading my machines.
2024 was broadly a year of collecting portables and 2025 seems to be shaping up to be the year of the standards. I'm slowly morphing my TWdB collection photos so that the "hero" photos of the machine facing to the right (with the left side of the typewriter facing front generally with the carriage return in the front) are those that have been generally cleaned /restored while those facing to the left (with the right side of the typewriter facing front with carriage return in the rear) are those that still need cleaning, oiling, adjustment or a major repair. Those facing forward generally need work as well. Certainly some don't fit this pattern, but I hope to fix them all shortly as I get the requisite photos.
I've got more than half a dozen card catalogs including a Gaylord Bros. and a Steelcase along with several Remington Rand and some Shaw-Walkers. I've lost count of my index card collection once I passed 10,000.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Sears Cutlass on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Sears Serial Number page and the Sears Cutlass By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
