1971 IBM Selectric I #21-9432552
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Matt Watkins (Ignaciob)
Created: 07-07-2024 at 07:40PM
Last Edit: 07-07-2024 at 07:42PM
![1971 #21-9432552](https://typewriterdatabase.com/img/g_ibm_23323_1720406457.jpg)
Description:
Purchased off FB for $60 in Portland, this typewriter is the same model I took typing class in high school on in 1981. My original one was a fabric ribbon versus cartridge on this, but otherwise identical.
Typeface Specimen:
![](https://typewriterdatabase.com/img/tibm_23323_1720406457.jpg)
Photos:
![Serial number Serial number](https://typewriterdatabase.com/img/g23323_171359__171359_1720406480.jpg)
![The previous owner said they purchased in Lincoln, Nebraska and this sticker suggests it was a leased machine and the store branch opened in that city in 1967. The previous owner said they purchased in Lincoln, Nebraska and this sticker suggests it was a leased machine and the store branch opened in that city in 1967.](https://typewriterdatabase.com/img/g23323_171360__171360_1720406554.jpg)
Hunter: Matt Watkins (Ignaciob)
Matt Watkins's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
![](https://typewriterdatabase.com/img/member_7343_1711993731.jpg)
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 338
First hunt and pecked on a 60's Smith Corona Sterling my mother had and Took typing class in 1982 on an IBM Selectric as a means to get into the computer class my sophomore year. Probably reached 60wpm. Once I moved over to computers I never really went back to typewriters, but 40 years later I find myself enjoying the sound, feel, and smell of a now-vintage Selectric 2 and just picked up a 1955 Silent Super. We'll see how far down the rabbit hole I go....
Update: July 2024. I have 26 typewriters at this point including an identical Selectric I used in high school. The collection kick started in April when I bought 16 in one purchase from a collector on his way out of the hobby. I've also had the good fortune of helping my local air museum find several period-correct WWII typewriters and even gave away a pristine 50's Smith Corona Silent Super to a 19 year old that was enamored typewriters.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the IBM Selectric I on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the IBM Serial Number page and the IBM Selectric I By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.