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1966 Montgomery Ward Signature 088 Serial # C6186468 1966 Montgomery Ward Signature 088 typewriter, Serial # C6186468 James Grooms's 1966 Montgomery Ward Signature 088 typewriter. 2026-06-19 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of James Grooms: 1966 Montgomery Ward Signature 088 Serial # C6186468 Introduced in the Fall of 1964 in both the catalog and newspapers, along with the 510 and 513, this was the base model. The JP-3, hardly a short run as typewriter models go, will be available until 1972. There's no record of numbers sold, but they were widely advertised by Montgomery Ward. Brother also offered them in various model names. The last ones sold were Brother Echelon 91s. There are far more of them around than what shows up in the galleries. If you want some anecdotal evidence for this, search ebay with "signature typewriter" at any given time and count the JP-3 models.

The target is the Smith Corona Classic 12 introduced in 1963 with an msrp of $127.50.

No case queen this one. Someone was serious about this machine. The spacebar, ribbon drive, and escapement have all been modified. It saw a lot of use, however, it wasn't all banged up. Note the paint wear to the edges. It was stuffed full of eraser shavings. Pay particular attention to getting at the area under the ribbon vibrator. There is a ledge that the link rests on that is a collection point. There is also a rubber stop here that is mostly gone or has turned to goo. Also, be thorough with the U-bar pivots. The spacebar took some high-level forming to change its shape (now replaced).

Compared to the later models, the ribbon drive is a tad different, using different springs and pivot points. Maybe getting the ribbon down was the issue, and they wound everything up tighter, which accounts for the higher action tension on the later models.

There are other differences between this early base JP-3 and the later 60s-70s models. For example, there is no paper bail, injector or lower cover panel. The tab brake is different as well. The big change is the keys. These appear to be the same as the smaller type from a JP-1. These provide a better touch point IMO.

1966 Montgomery Ward Signature 088 #C6186468

Status: My Collection
Hunter: James Grooms (jgrooms)
Created: 03-07-2026 at 05:23AM
Last Edit: 06-19-2026 at 12:21PM

Description Hunter 29 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

Introduced in the Fall of 1964 in both the catalog and newspapers, along with the 510 and 513, this was the base model. The JP-3, hardly a short run as typewriter models go, will be available until 1972. There's no record of numbers sold, but they were widely advertised by Montgomery Ward. Brother also offered them in various model names. The last ones sold were Brother Echelon 91s. There are far more of them around than what shows up in the galleries. If you want some anecdotal evidence for this, search ebay with "signature typewriter" at any given time and count the JP-3 models.

The target is the Smith Corona Classic 12 introduced in 1963 with an msrp of $127.50.

No case queen this one. Someone was serious about this machine. The spacebar, ribbon drive, and escapement have all been modified. It saw a lot of use, however, it wasn't all banged up. Note the paint wear to the edges. It was stuffed full of eraser shavings. Pay particular attention to getting at the area under the ribbon vibrator. There is a ledge that the link rests on that is a collection point. There is also a rubber stop here that is mostly gone or has turned to goo. Also, be thorough with the U-bar pivots. The spacebar took some high-level forming to change its shape (now replaced).

Compared to the later models, the ribbon drive is a tad different, using different springs and pivot points. Maybe getting the ribbon down was the issue, and they wound everything up tighter, which accounts for the higher action tension on the later models.

There are other differences between this early base JP-3 and the later 60s-70s models. For example, there is no paper bail, injector or lower cover panel. The tab brake is different as well. The big change is the keys. These appear to be the same as the smaller type from a JP-1. These provide a better touch point IMO.

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Hunter: James Grooms (jgrooms)

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Typewriters are the perfect blend of using one's technical skills, history and functional purpose. My goal is type tested machines. My interests are not isolated to any one area. For example, I am a big fan of Smith Corona electrics, mid century electrics and all things Royal.


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