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1967 Olympia SM9 Serial # 3499318 1967 Olympia SM9 typewriter, Serial # 3499318 James Grooms's 1967 Olympia SM9 typewriter. 2024-11-29 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of James Grooms: 1967 Olympia SM9 Serial # 3499318 An estate sale find before the dreaded pickers arrived like locusts. Someone's high school machine. A basic cleaning and typing like new. German engineering and yes these SMs are fantastic typers. $130 in 1967 is roughly $1200 today. $80-90 typer at that time for comparison is $700-800 today. So some historical context for when some typewriter 'review' talks about an Olympia killer, there's nothing new under the sun. Money talks and bs walks. If your 'killer' whatever was in the same league, it would've been priced in the same ballpark back in the day, A good example of what the dollar value was, is the ad that shows an $11 down payment could get you out the door with one, making a $40 msrp gap simply huge.
10 of 10 on typing.
5 of 5 on controls.
3 of 3 on serviceability.
3 of 3 on fit and finish.
1 of 3 on soft case (hard available).
2 of 3 on style.
24/27
Senatorial #71 Elite.

1967 Olympia SM9 #3499318

Status: My Collection
Hunter: James Grooms (jgrooms)
Created: 11-29-2023 at 05:44AM
Last Edit: 11-29-2024 at 11:07AM


Description:

An estate sale find before the dreaded pickers arrived like locusts. Someone's high school machine. A basic cleaning and typing like new. German engineering and yes these SMs are fantastic typers. $130 in 1967 is roughly $1200 today. $80-90 typer at that time for comparison is $700-800 today. So some historical context for when some typewriter 'review' talks about an Olympia killer, there's nothing new under the sun. Money talks and bs walks. If your 'killer' whatever was in the same league, it would've been priced in the same ballpark back in the day, A good example of what the dollar value was, is the ad that shows an $11 down payment could get you out the door with one, making a $40 msrp gap simply huge.
10 of 10 on typing.
5 of 5 on controls.
3 of 3 on serviceability.
3 of 3 on fit and finish.
1 of 3 on soft case (hard available).
2 of 3 on style.
24/27
Senatorial #71 Elite.

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

Photos:






Some history from 1967. The Space Race.
Some history from 1967. The Space Race.









German engineering and the wonderful flip cover.
German engineering and the wonderful flip cover.

Serial number location.
Serial number location.

Achtung!
Achtung!












Hunter: James Grooms (jgrooms)

James Grooms's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 7872

As with many, the bug is back there somewhere due to an Underwood No. 5. My grandfather was on a small town school board and used one for this. My parents had a yellow Royal Safari that I used to index card everything, including a beer can collection. Collection syndrome clue! The long dormant tic was activated when my neighbors left a Remington Quiet Riter on the curb when they moved in circa 2010, Yes a believe it or not story is next, when a Hermes 3000 comes home with the girlfriend from work for free. Yes, free! From there the addiction is full steam. And yes, I now have a No. 5. Typewriters are the perfect blend of using one's technical skills, history and functional purpose.



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