307 Points, Typewriter Hunter

I collect a variety of mechanical marvels including accordions, pump organs, and typewriters. In addition to collecting, I enjoy cleaning the machines and learning to perform basic repairs.

My typewriter collection began with a 1950s-era Underwood DeLuxe, purchased in the 1990s. Several decades passed before the typewriter bug bit again. Now I live surrounded by a small army of manual machines, including a Blickenderfer No. 7, a tiny 3 bank Underwood (1923), a Smith-Corona Clipper, a handful of Remingtons, and others.

Typewriters let me commune with the memory of my mother. Mum was an amazing typist - a legal secretary at a white-shoe NYC law firm who could accurately type over 100 wpm. Later in life, she taught middle school - many subjects - but typing was her favorite. Unlike teaching English, there was no pile of unpaid papers to grade. Prior to the advent of word processors, her last typewriter was a hulking beast of an IBM Selectric.