1968 Royal (Silver-Seiko) 200 #MC 8194709

Status: My Collection
Hunter: James Gifford (giffer)
Created: 09-11-2016 at 03:23PM
Last Edit: 08-13-2022 at 11:12PM

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Description:

I found this guy tucked under a table at a market and paid $30. To me, it seems to be essentially a Royal (Litton/Silver Seiko) Mercury branded as a 200, though Mercury is a much cooler name. (I couldn't find another 200 registered here; surely, there must be others, if not hundreds of thousands of others, given the serial number.) It types surprisingly well for a fairly basic machine. There are two rings that help hold the ribbon cover tight, and of course when I took off the ribbon cover one of them popped off and is now snagged inside the typewriter and won't come out. Without it, the cover sits loose. I might continue to try and lure the ring out of the machine, or I might fashion a new one from some kind of putty. A previous owner clearly smoked as there are what I'm certain are nicotine stains on the keys. Anyone have any tips for removing those? It smells faintly of cigarettes (my least favourite smell) as well. But, for $30, its a good typer and quite solid. (In other news, I'm excited to find that asphalt makes for a nice backdrop for photos of white or grey typewriters.)

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Hunter: James Gifford (giffer)

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

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 2325

I am a writer and book editor as well as a collector of typewriters. It started with an Hermes 3000 desktop, which I stupidly sold last year, but now another sits on my desk for typing envelopes with a beautiful sans serif typeface. I type every day on different machines in my collection, which stands at about 60 at the moment. Favourites include my two 3000s, a 1930s Smith-Corona Silent, the Olivetti Studio 44 (red case), and a crinkle, chrome-encircled Royal Quiet Deluxe. I have also been finding very inexpensive Royal 10s of late; I currently own three, two from the 1910s and the other a later model, and another (1931) I sold to a friend at cost for his son, who appreciates vintage things. I am always on the lookout for new and interesting machines and often trade or sell to try new models. Living and working in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.