1971 Montgomery Ward Signature 511D #G1494821
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Mei Travis (meilynne)
Created: 11-18-2020 at 07:05PM
Last Edit: 06-30-2021 at 10:42AM
Description:
Technically this isn't my first. I had a toy manual as a kid and used my dad's electric growing up until my parents sent me off to college with a gray daisy wheel wedge. After donating my one and only in 1997, this Brother typewriter is my first one that I chose for myself many years later. There's something about the Jetsons vintage quality, plus I saw the "made in Japan" label so I knew it'd probably be good. Like all old typewriters, there were minor adjustment to calibrate, the shift height dropped because a little plastic screw cushion crumbled, and now my repair makes the shifting go "clank" rather than "thud" without the cushion. Overall everything about my first typewriter is perfect for me.
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Hunter: Mei Travis (meilynne)
Mei Travis's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 1265
During the quiet summer of 2020, I longed to use a typewriter again. After some online research and browsing, two Brother machines landed on my doorstep. A 1971 Montgomery Ward's Signature 511D and a creamy 1985 Sears ultraportable both ignited a fire I haven't felt in a long time. I quickly found Ted Munk, the Facebook groups, and the rest of the typewriter online community, where I learned how to fix them and appreciate them. By summer's end I had collected 20 typewriters to cure my pandemic blues. Now I'm obsessed about the different styles, the mechanics & repair, and their important history. Typewriters are an endless source of fascination as a literary medium, for creativity, a tinker-fest for machine geeks, and they still contribute to the economy. I truly enjoy learning how to bring mid-century or later typewriters back to life, even the electric ones, while completely in awe of the unique antiques that folks brilliantly restore. It warms my heart that there are others, and here we are sharing the same passions about typewriters together.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Montgomery Ward Signature 511D on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Montgomery Ward Serial Number page and the Montgomery Ward Signature 511D By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.