1967 Royal (Silver-Seiko) Mercury #MC 7436413

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Brad Sarno (bradsarno)
Created: 04-08-2014 at 07:41AM
Last Edit: 08-13-2022 at 10:50PM

Description Hunter 14 Photos 1 Like  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

I found this locally yesterday, $10. It appears that it was practically never used. No ink in the type slugs. It even had the protective plastic card device that prevents the typebars from moving, apparently something it originally shipped with. In a number of ways, this compact design resembles the Hermes Featherweight/Baby/Rocket line. Perhaps Silver-Seiko borrowed from the Hermes. The platen on this Mercury is quite hard but very clean and smooth. It types nicely, an easy and snappy, light touch. On the page it's reasonably decent, nothing special. Internally it's apparent that the build quality is not special. Functional, utilitarian, and budget minded. It's interesting to compare this Silver-Seiko with the another large Japanese maker, Brother of Nagoya, Japan. The Brother machine that I have is far superior with respect to overall build quality, type quality, and general precision and performance. This is a lesser grade machine, but it's a great looking (to me) and a practical design with a handy clamshell case for easy portability. I can imagine this Mercury getting plenty of use. Pica typeface.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Hunter: Brad Sarno (bradsarno)

Brad Sarno's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 2728

I've spent my life as a mechanical and electronics tinkerer, bikes, cars, lawnmowers, appliances, cameras, audio gear, guitars, amplifiers, and pedal steel guitars. I was trained as a typist for 2 years back in the late 70's on IBM Selectric II's. At home I recall my mother having an Olympia SM3. More recently we got our daughter a typewriter for Christmas, and that somehow sparked my own personal interest in these fine and interesting machines. Now it's a habit that just won't quit. Daily searches on Craigslist, frequent trips to antique stores & malls, garage sales, etc. It's a fun and healthy addiction.