1970s Olivetti Lexicon 82 #E12 84528
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Mark Rosenzweig (MarkR)
Created: 07-12-2025 at 01:50PM
Last Edit: 07-12-2025 at 01:50PM
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Description:
Large portable electric typewriter is the first portable to have an interchangeable "golf ball" element. Unlike the IBM Selectric, in which the golf ball moves laterally and the carriage doesn't, on the Lexikon 82, the golf ball doesn't move laterally but the carriage does.
Above the usual Lexikon 82 nameplate is a smaller one with a "Royal Warrant" — the text says British Olivetti Ltd., Made in Great Britain, By Appointment to H.R. H. the Duke of Edinburgh, Office Equipment Manufacturers. Machine was made in Glasgow, Scotland.
Typeface Specimen:
Hunter: Mark Rosenzweig (MarkR)
Mark Rosenzweig's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 356
I have collected typewriters since the early 1970s. My first collectible machine was a Mignon, but I also had everyday typers then, first a Voss ST-24 and an Olivetti Praxis 48, and then a Hermes 3000 and a Hermes 10. Over the last decade or so, I've turned my focus from early machines (Lambert, Blickensderfer, Hammond, Smith-Premier, etc.) to portables.
Besides typewriters, I also collect staplers and other paper fasteners. In addition, I am a Studebaker car enthusiast, and have had a 1964 Studebaker GT Hawk since 1979.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Olivetti Lexicon 82 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olivetti Serial Number page and the Olivetti Lexicon 82 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
