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1983 IBM Personal Typewriter Serial # 6126110011126 1983 IBM Personal Typewriter typewriter, Serial # 6126110011126 Steven Blake's 1983 IBM Personal Typewriter typewriter. 2022-02-10 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Steven Blake: 1983 IBM Personal Typewriter Serial # 6126110011126 Manufactured by IBM from 1982 through 1984, the Personal Typewriter contains features from both the Selectric II and III models, which IBM was transitioning between at the time. The Personal Typewriter's form factor is a bit more compact than that of its commercial siblings, and it was even sold with a soft denim carrying bag in a somewhat hapless push to emphasize the portability of a machine that weighs 36 pounds. Internet rumor has it that the Personal Typewriter was an invention of IBM's marketing team, designed to use up legacy Selectric II parts inventory while offering a machine for the home/student market. It's also rumored that most of the Personal Typewriters were bought new by IBM employees, which makes sense as IBM didn't have a dedicated consumer marketing channel for it's typewriters at the time (the IBM Wheelwriter and IBM PC would change that). IBM did , however, feature the Personal Typewriter in a 1984 television ad using the tagline "We're Your Type," which is linked below.

I picked up this wonderful machine from Duane Jensen at Phoenix Typewriter (www.phoenixtypewriter.com) so it was professionally refurbished and ready to type when I got it home. These Personal Typewriters are single pitch (12) by design, but I have found the 10 CPI elements produce type that is quite nice, if a bit crowded, depending on the typeface. Regardless, with their correction feature and compact footprint, they represent the product of more than 20 years of IBM's collective Selectric engineering, development, and marketing expertise. I use mine daily.

1983 IBM Personal Typewriter #6126110011126

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Steven Blake (FloydGondolli)
Created: 12-24-2021 at 08:13PM
Last Edit: 02-10-2022 at 10:02AM

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Description:

Manufactured by IBM from 1982 through 1984, the Personal Typewriter contains features from both the Selectric II and III models, which IBM was transitioning between at the time. The Personal Typewriter's form factor is a bit more compact than that of its commercial siblings, and it was even sold with a soft denim carrying bag in a somewhat hapless push to emphasize the portability of a machine that weighs 36 pounds. Internet rumor has it that the Personal Typewriter was an invention of IBM's marketing team, designed to use up legacy Selectric II parts inventory while offering a machine for the home/student market. It's also rumored that most of the Personal Typewriters were bought new by IBM employees, which makes sense as IBM didn't have a dedicated consumer marketing channel for it's typewriters at the time (the IBM Wheelwriter and IBM PC would change that). IBM did , however, feature the Personal Typewriter in a 1984 television ad using the tagline "We're Your Type," which is linked below.

I picked up this wonderful machine from Duane Jensen at Phoenix Typewriter (www.phoenixtypewriter.com) so it was professionally refurbished and ready to type when I got it home. These Personal Typewriters are single pitch (12) by design, but I have found the 10 CPI elements produce type that is quite nice, if a bit crowded, depending on the typeface. Regardless, with their correction feature and compact footprint, they represent the product of more than 20 years of IBM's collective Selectric engineering, development, and marketing expertise. I use mine daily.

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

Photos:







Comparison of 12 CPI (top) with 10 CPI (bottom) on this single pitch (12) machine
Comparison of 12 CPI (top) with 10 CPI (bottom) on this single pitch (12) machine

The owner's manual.
The owner's manual.

Hunter: Steven Blake (FloydGondolli)

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Lawyer and recently acknowledged typewriter addict. It all started with an IBM Personal Typewriter, followed by a Smith-Corona Galaxie Deluxe, an Adler Universal 20, and then, well, you know the rest.


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

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