1971 Royal (Silver-Seiko) 260 #1050156

Status: My Collection
Hunter: James Gifford (giffer)
Created: 09-04-2016 at 09:45AM
Last Edit: 08-13-2022 at 11:10PM

Description Hunter 7 Photos 0 Likes  Find on Ebay #AD  Find on Etsy #AD

Description:

I bought this typewriter on eBay from a seller in Poland. No one else offered on it, probably because of the cost and untimeliness of the shipping (6 weeks) and because the seller had only 10 reviews. It arrived safely and I've been in love ever since. This typewriter is essentially a Royal Fleetwood/Sprite variant with an AM radio built into the case, made in Japan. An AM radio AND a typewriter--brilliant! I've since found that several variants of this machine come with the radio, including the Royal Swinger and Royal Fleetwood. The serial # puzzles me: it has the first four digits of a Royal Sprite (1969) but the colour scheme, including the faux-wood panelling, of a Fleetwood. Some of the keys have yellowed, but not others, and the keys that are still white are very white while the keys right beside them are yellow. Is this the way it came? (I've seen this on other machines.) Or did an earlier owner replace some of the keytops? Why the inconsistent yellowing? Note the European keyset. Also note that I went to war with the ribbon vibrator and for the life of me can't get it to pull the ribbon smoothly. I even pulled out my Swinger to compare the set-up but it still doesn't work right, which is reflected in my type sample. For now, this will remain one of my favourite machines to look at but not type on. I've read on some message boards that many consider the Fleetwood (and, I guess, the 260, which I can find nothing about online) to be the ugliest typewriter ever made. Not me, despite the fact that I want to take a bat to the ribbon vibrator.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Red platen knobs! (That's the label from ribbon packaging tucked behind it, since removed.)

European keyset.

AM radio! Tuner and volume (unlabelled).

AM radio dials and earphone jack.

Volume dial for AM radio on the top exterior of the case, near the handle.

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.