1967 Olivetti Lettera 33 #4549280
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Fumitaka Hayashi (fhayashi)
Created: 07-25-2026 at 07:27PM
Last Edit: 07-25-2026 at 07:29PM
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Description:
An Olivetti Underderwood branded Lettera 33.
Found this at a antique mall during my recent vacation. Earlier that day we had visited the Museum of Printing in Haverhill, Massachusetts which was pretty neat. They had a working linotype machine they demonstrated, along with a lot of other artifacts to do with printing. In the back almost as an afterthought they had a rather extensive collection of typewriters.
Later that day we visited the Canal Street Antique Mall in Lawrence, MA. It was a rather large antique mall, on our way out, we quickly checked out the upper floors, and my (young adult) kids found some typewriters for sale. A quick peek at the slugs demonstrated that it was a #75 Script typeface, at a price that I could not resist.
My other Olivetti is a Studio 44, also in #75 Script. The feel of the Studio 44 feels a bit off to me, which I think is the slightly longer key travel. This Lettera 33 does not seem to feel nearly as "off" as the Studio 44 did.
The typeface sample is pretty ratty at the moment, as it was done with the dried-out ribbon which I marginally improved with some WD-40.
The case and typewriter is overall in pretty good shape. The underside of the body is engraved with the name and social security number of the original owner.
I can't quite figure out how to take the bottom cover off. It seems to require overcoming the grip of a rubber grommet around a stud. I did not want to risk ripping the grommet or bending the bottom plate.
Overall a neat acquisition.
Again, this was an acquisition from the Canal Street Antique Mall in Lawrence, MA.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
Photos:
Hunter: Fumitaka Hayashi (fhayashi)
Fumitaka Hayashi's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 1037
Trying very hard to be more judicious in my acquisitions...
I like interesting typefaces. I like tinkering with my acquisitions to make them work.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Olivetti Lettera 33 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olivetti Serial Number page and the Olivetti Lettera 33 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
