198X Typewriters Works Maritsa 30 #31457474
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Javier Vazquez del Olmo (Javi)
Created: 11-04-2015 at 04:01AM
Last Edit: 05-28-2017 at 03:35PM
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Description:
I´m very excited about this typewriter. Yeah, it´s a little thing just intended for ocassional typing. Yeah, it´s not a masterpiece of engineering. Yeah, it´s one of those late manual typewriters not exactly famous for their overwhelming quality... but it´s brand new.
Apart from my Nakajima 8000, this is the only typewriter I´ve taken out from its box. At that time I didn´t care much about it, but with this one I guess I have grown older and I´ve seen unpackaging this little lady as something quite special. In addition, I did this on Halloween, and BTW, we have quite a scary legend here in Spain which tells how the templars who fell in battle near a castle in Soria rise from the dead and chase everyone on sight to kill them with extreme prejudice.
But back to the typewriter. I don´t know if by putting it into "service" I´ve done something wrong collecting-wise, but I really don´t care much. I firmly believe typewriters are not museum pieces to be put behind a glass, they can and they have to work. This Maritsa 30, I think, is way more valuable out of the box than inside it. I´ve tried to document all the process of unraveling the mummy, well aware that it´s a chance which maybe won´t come in a long time.
The typewriter itself is quite nice to look at. Lots and lots of plastic, but with a good design. The quality is decent, but not great. For what I know, Maritsa has taken ideas from other manufacturers, such as Princess and in this case Seiko. Yep, to make it more convoluted, the carriage is that of the swarm of Japanese Seikos and Brothers from the 80´s. Maybe it shares more pieces with them, because the touch is similar. Hard and precise. The ribbon spools with the Maritsa logo are a nice touch, but the ribbon cover is awful. And the case is quite nice as well.
If I had found this typewriter with thirty years of life on its back it would only be a so-so machine, but finding it sealed... That´s a big difference!
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 Typewriters Works Maritsa 30 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Typewriters Works Serial Number page and the Typewriters Works Maritsa 30 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
