1050 Brands 3173 Models 21439 Galleries 13405 Typefaces 6273 Patents
Home » Olivetti » Lettera 31 » 1974 #7504083
1974 Olivetti Lettera 31 Serial # 7504083 1974 Olivetti Lettera 31 typewriter, Serial # 7504083 Joshua Beta's 1974 Olivetti Lettera 31 typewriter. 2018-03-24 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Joshua Beta: 1974 Olivetti Lettera 31 Serial # 7504083 Serial number: 7504083
Made in Spain, in 1974

The type style is the common one, used in most of typewriters. Since I am from Mexico, this typewriter has the Mexican keyboard set, ready for writing in Spanish (and native Mexican languages). xD

I bought it at $50 MXN (about $6.50 USD in those ages) on February, 2011 at a thrift store. xD

The only reason I bought it was that I was desperated (because I write a book, and I needed a resilient heavy-duty workhouse capable to resist the amount of text I type almost daily) and I could not afford a decent enough typewriter (they are over $800 MXN - about $44 USD in those ages - in my city). According to my experience, there's no Olivetti able to resist heavy-duty use. ^^;

I had a Chinese Olivetti Lettera 25's replica that used to get screwed quite often since I bought it (2001), always in the same pieces. I got fed up of that crap, and I sold it as scrap metal. I earned $100 MXN (about $11 USD in those ages). xD

Immediately, I used that money for buying this typewriter. The clerk at the thrift store thought that typewriter was ruined and put it along with other out-of-work devices. At that store, there were beautiful vintage typewriters (Royals, Remingtons and Underwoods) over $1000 MXN (about $110 USD in those ages), and this thing. xD

And after realizing it still was totally able to work (despite the tons of dust and dirt throughtout it), I bought it as "useless object, just for showing it off". That poor clerk never knew the truth about this machine. xD

Unlike I thought the first time I saw it (and every time I have to face an Olivetti machine) the typewriter started to work fine enough immediately, after replacing the ribbon and cleaning it thoroughly, just with a toothbrush and a rag (I washed the housing/frame/shell with soap, as if it were a dish or a glass). xD

And I used it as if it were a heavy-duty workhouse until the year 2015. In an astonishing way, it resisted over 20 pages daily, typing as quick as possible (because it squeaked a lot, because it skips a space forward when I want to go faster, and because I feared it got screwed). I think that was a miracle. xD

Then, in the year 2016, I decided it deserved some professional tune-up, adjustment and forming. I spent just $400 MXN (about $20 USD)!! xD

After the required reparations, this machine prints its typefaces with such a fine quality... Before the adjustment service, people that read my texts written with this machine thought it was an electric typewriter. Now, even I thought it!! :D

Due to its overly small size and its gray shell, I named it "Little Drow". These ones are drows:

http://shabazik.deviantart.com/gallery/29015898/The-Drow-Trio

Its design remembers me a sort of portable console from a sci-fi movie. It seems the tiny, cute and small version of the Olivetti Linea 98, or the slim and short version of the Olivetti Studio 45. xD

Unfortunately, its paper bail hasn't the features I need in order to center or justify texts, and it lacks the tabulator mechanism. So, writing my books (I wrote over 1000 pages with it during five years, without counting other large texts, letters and official documents that only we Mexicans use) was quite hard indeed. xD

The Olivetti Lettera 31 (very likely to the Olivetti Dora and the Underwood 315) is rare and hard to find in Mexico. No, it's not a Dora with other name (notice the black border above the keyboard that Doras don't have), and it's not a Chinese replica (authentic "made in Spain" proved by professional repairmen and collectors in Mexico; the black area and the letters on its badges become navy blue when seeing them from different angles). :P

The most common Olivetti models are the Letteras 25 (ugly), 32 (overly small) and 35i (too heavy to be portable), and they are the easiest models to find in Mexico. So easy... sometimes there are piles of them (and their pieces) at typewriter repair shops, and this is another reason which I can't trust them, putting aside the fact they are the cheapest typewriters in Mexico. :P

Finally, I decided to sell it to a typewriter repair workshop's salesman. I think $900 Mexican Pesoes (2016; it's about $45 USD) is a worthwhile, nice and neat prize for a machine that was found at the "scrap metal" aisle. xD

UPDATE:

I regret. This little machine has one of the best writing machines I have ever had in my lifetime. I miss it. :(

1974 Olivetti Lettera 31 #7504083

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Joshua Beta (JoshBeta1)
Created: 07-25-2016 at 08:07PM
Last Edit: 03-24-2018 at 07:14PM

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

Description:

Serial number: 7504083
Made in Spain, in 1974

The type style is the common one, used in most of typewriters. Since I am from Mexico, this typewriter has the Mexican keyboard set, ready for writing in Spanish (and native Mexican languages). xD

I bought it at $50 MXN (about $6.50 USD in those ages) on February, 2011 at a thrift store. xD

The only reason I bought it was that I was desperated (because I write a book, and I needed a resilient heavy-duty workhouse capable to resist the amount of text I type almost daily) and I could not afford a decent enough typewriter (they are over $800 MXN - about $44 USD in those ages - in my city). According to my experience, there's no Olivetti able to resist heavy-duty use. ^^;

I had a Chinese Olivetti Lettera 25's replica that used to get screwed quite often since I bought it (2001), always in the same pieces. I got fed up of that crap, and I sold it as scrap metal. I earned $100 MXN (about $11 USD in those ages). xD

Immediately, I used that money for buying this typewriter. The clerk at the thrift store thought that typewriter was ruined and put it along with other out-of-work devices. At that store, there were beautiful vintage typewriters (Royals, Remingtons and Underwoods) over $1000 MXN (about $110 USD in those ages), and this thing. xD

And after realizing it still was totally able to work (despite the tons of dust and dirt throughtout it), I bought it as "useless object, just for showing it off". That poor clerk never knew the truth about this machine. xD

Unlike I thought the first time I saw it (and every time I have to face an Olivetti machine) the typewriter started to work fine enough immediately, after replacing the ribbon and cleaning it thoroughly, just with a toothbrush and a rag (I washed the housing/frame/shell with soap, as if it were a dish or a glass). xD

And I used it as if it were a heavy-duty workhouse until the year 2015. In an astonishing way, it resisted over 20 pages daily, typing as quick as possible (because it squeaked a lot, because it skips a space forward when I want to go faster, and because I feared it got screwed). I think that was a miracle. xD

Then, in the year 2016, I decided it deserved some professional tune-up, adjustment and forming. I spent just $400 MXN (about $20 USD)!! xD

After the required reparations, this machine prints its typefaces with such a fine quality... Before the adjustment service, people that read my texts written with this machine thought it was an electric typewriter. Now, even I thought it!! :D

Due to its overly small size and its gray shell, I named it "Little Drow". These ones are drows:

http://shabazik.deviantart.com/gallery/29015898/The-Drow-Trio

Its design remembers me a sort of portable console from a sci-fi movie. It seems the tiny, cute and small version of the Olivetti Linea 98, or the slim and short version of the Olivetti Studio 45. xD

Unfortunately, its paper bail hasn't the features I need in order to center or justify texts, and it lacks the tabulator mechanism. So, writing my books (I wrote over 1000 pages with it during five years, without counting other large texts, letters and official documents that only we Mexicans use) was quite hard indeed. xD

The Olivetti Lettera 31 (very likely to the Olivetti Dora and the Underwood 315) is rare and hard to find in Mexico. No, it's not a Dora with other name (notice the black border above the keyboard that Doras don't have), and it's not a Chinese replica (authentic "made in Spain" proved by professional repairmen and collectors in Mexico; the black area and the letters on its badges become navy blue when seeing them from different angles). :P

The most common Olivetti models are the Letteras 25 (ugly), 32 (overly small) and 35i (too heavy to be portable), and they are the easiest models to find in Mexico. So easy... sometimes there are piles of them (and their pieces) at typewriter repair shops, and this is another reason which I can't trust them, putting aside the fact they are the cheapest typewriters in Mexico. :P

Finally, I decided to sell it to a typewriter repair workshop's salesman. I think $900 Mexican Pesoes (2016; it's about $45 USD) is a worthwhile, nice and neat prize for a machine that was found at the "scrap metal" aisle. xD

UPDATE:

I regret. This little machine has one of the best writing machines I have ever had in my lifetime. I miss it. :(

Typeface Specimen:

Hunter: Joshua Beta (JoshBeta1)

Joshua Beta's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 96

I still use typewriters as writing machines, not just for collecting them. :P


RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Olivetti Lettera 31 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olivetti Serial Number page and the Olivetti Lettera 31 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.

Typewriter Hunter Merch!