197X Olivetti ET 109 #3105861
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 11-08-2016 at 12:37PM
Last Edit: 11-08-2016 at 12:49PM
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Description:
Time for another monstrous wedge!
This one was rescued from I don´t exactly know where, but a friend of my father found this behemoth at a company clearing. It was going to be discarded, so he took it, passed it to my father and finally it arrived home. Thanks, Oscar!
The good thing is that it´s fully functional. The ribbon cartridge is alive and kicking, although a bit fossilized. I "think" I can find replacements easily enough, so this typewriter should expect a life of hard work at home. Like other large wedges, this one offers a wide array of functions which include (and are not limited to) variable pitch, bold writing, underlining, centered allignment... It´s quite easy to use and intuitive. Not bad!
Now the neutral part. This typewriter is an Italian Olivetti, but for some reason it has a Fujitsu sticker on the front covering the original Olivetti badge, and another Fujitsu tag with a weird number which identifies it as an unused piece of equipment. Thing is, why Fujitsu? I don´t get it.
The "bad" part is how large this animal is. It´s huge and heavy, heavier than other similar sized wedges. Maybe its motor is powered by a neutron star or something.
But hey, I´m quite happy with this one!
Typeface Specimen:
Photos:
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Javier Vazquez del Olmo's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6476
The first typewriter I saw was my grandpa´s Olivetti Linea 98 at the office. It was just a curio for me. Then I was given a Nakajima, which I didn´t use and my grandfather took it from me because it was easier to handle than the bulky Linea 98. Now I own that typewriter, and I started a little collection in Valladolid, Spain. The Nakajima, which is "my" typewriter only returned home in 2017, almost 20 years later, when he wanted a better typewriter.
A collection that started small grew into something bigger, a nuisace for my family and a great source of satisfaction for me.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Olivetti ET 109 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olivetti Serial Number page and the Olivetti ET 109 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
