198X Silver Reed EX50 #85056616
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 03-03-2016 at 12:31PM
Last Edit: 03-03-2016 at 12:35PM
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Description:
I think this is the largest typewriter I have in my collection. Maybe not the heaviest, but at 14,3 kg (31,5 lb) and 60 cm wide it´s more than a wedge: it´s a barricade!
In this case, size does matter, because I got this one for free from my friend the former chief of assembly at the Olivetti plant in Barcelona. He was fed up with it, because this machine had been left at his workshop years ago because the previous owner had closed his business and had given it little use. From that point, it´s been predating a whole shelf, avidly catching dust. Finally he told me if I wanted it, warning me that finding new ribbons would be impossible. But how could I refuse... I took this tiny little monster home, and I discovered it had some serious working issues. Typed when it felt like it, jumped lines, groaned and grumbled... It was extremely dirty after so many years there.
But after cleaning it´s alive and kicking! Compared to other wedges it has great touch, so it´s definitely FAST. I don´t know if it´s faster than the almighty Olivetti ET2200, but for sure it´s an office animal. Goes far beyond the little wedge that invaded many offices in a misled act of modernization (they would reveal themselves as inadequate), and this one can deal with any amount of work. It packs several funny functions, such as automatic line jump, bold, underlining, centered allignment, decimal tabulator and the option to type at 10 or 12 cpi.
Although it looks old with that bulky design and that horrible puke yellow-greenish color (my camera doesn´t get it 100% right), it seems this beast was produced in the 80´s.
And to end on a high note, I´ve found replacement ribbons!. ¡Toma ya!
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 Silver Reed EX50 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Silver Reed Serial Number page and the Silver Reed EX50 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
