1982 Olympia Electric X-L12 #254190364
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Mark Rice (TypewriterNoob)
Created: 10-15-2022 at 12:05PM
Last Edit: 02-24-2023 at 12:56PM
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Description:
I purchased this electric Olympia from Goodwill in Portage, Wisconsin for $7.99. It is in excellent condition except for the gooey stretched out belt which is useless. It was difficult to find a replacement belt. I looked in a number of stores and online. I finally found a four-pack of o-rings at Menards (Pentair OK25 O-Rings). Two of the four o-rings are a perfect fit and the typewriter is now working perfectly! I also now found these on Amazon (pictured below).
Included in the case is all the original paperwork - the instruction manual, unpacking instructions, initial type sample, 2-page magazine advertisement and owner's information card that includes the purchase date of 11-19-82.
This model looks very much like the Model E-R12 only the L-X12 has "CLE" and "SET" toggle switch in the upper right corner of the keyboard which is the Tablulator set and clear switch. The E-R12 model has a Tab button, so I'm assuming it must require some kind of manual tab setting.
Typeface Specimen:
Photos:
Hunter: Mark Rice (TypewriterNoob)
Mark Rice's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 672
I'm over 60 now, but bought my first typewriter (a 1920's Underwood) when I was a teenager for $5.00. Unfortunately, I sold it 15 years later for $5.00 because I thought it was a useless, outdated boat anchor. Fast forward 35 years and I bought a Smith Corona Tabulator at a garage sale for $5.00 to show my grandchildren what a manual typewriter is and how it works. A couple years later, I bought an Oliver No. 9 at an antique store for $54 because of its interesting design. Within a month, I had spent over $1,000 and bought 16 more typewriters from a 1905 Remington No. 6 upstrike to an electric Olivetti Praxis 48.
I'm pretty handy, so my plan is to clean and repair them. I'll keep some for my private collection and sell others to support my new typewriter addiction.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Olympia Electric X-L12 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olympia Serial Number page and the Olympia Electric X-L12 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
