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Saturday, August 25, 2012

They made me feel as if I were one of the Elite



20 comments:

  1. Such a grand typewriter! Congratulations! You are so very lucky.

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    1. Thanks, Bill. With a bit of rubber restoration, I hope it can become an even greater machine. It is, hands down, the nicest Olympia portable I have used next to the SM9. The bakelite keys give it a bit of an edge over the 9, but the shift is still a tad more difficult than the 9. Of course, this is something to get used to. Thanks again!

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  2. Beautiful typewriter. Beautiful story. What else can you ask for? Congratulations, Ken!

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    1. I could not ask for a better Craig's List meetup than this. You never know what you are walking into with these things, and it couldn't have turned out better.

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  3. Now that's the sort of thing that gets addicting about buying typewriters - the people you get them from are such interesting and friendly folks. (:

    And that Olympia sounds like a candidate for rubber restoration. When you find a great old machine like that, fresh rubber invariably turns it into a treasure that'll shoot to the top of your favorites.

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    1. I have a few machines I would like to restore the rubber on. I think once these few companies get officially started, I may take them up on it. :D

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  4. Bee-yootiful! And what a nice, encouraging experience.

    By the way, I just added your blog to the Writing Ball blogroll. Sorry about the delay, I thought it was already on there and just noticed today that it wasn't.

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    1. I don't even know how to put one of those blogrolls on my page. Truthfully, I could never compare to the 'Mighty' on the Typosphere main page. Thanks a whole bunch for adding me to your own list. Making me feel special and all..

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  5. This is a great machine and a great story. Thanks for sharing and congratulations!

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  6. Ken, I sure understand your eagerness to get this one and agree that it is positively beautiful. The story behind it is so fitting. It went to the right guy. And I would consider that peculiar keyboard to be perfect for me, especially on an Olympia. Great find and story!

    == Michael Höhne

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    1. The keyboard is perfect. I only have one machine with a QWERTZ layout, as of yet, and it is a bit hard to get used to. To have a truly German machine with a QWERTY layout is a dream.

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  7. I too love these old Olympias. They are precise and well built machines. Nice catch!

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    1. I agree. I have not come across many machines that are such a pleasure to type on as my Olympia's are. I really hope to accumulate the entire line.

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  8. Oh, about the QWERTY layout on a German keyboard: I don't have an answer, but I have noticed some other typewriters like this, maybe 2-5% of German typewriters have it. It must be that some German customers preferred it.

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    1. Very good to know. I was quite curious about it, tell the truth. I haven't seen many others like it, and it is a perfect situation for me.

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  9. glad another typewriter has finally called to you. great find! and a memorable story to go with!

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    1. So am I! Sometimes, the best part of getting these machines are the stories you get along with them.

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  10. Wow, that Olympia is stunning! I've been searching for a prewar Olympia for quite some time now, but due to the ever-present Hermes 2000/Media, they don't turn up in Switzerland.

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    1. From what I have seen on Adwoa's page, that is really all you guys find over there. Of course, I have seen some other really neat machines she has posted. I have never before seen one of these Olympia's in person, so this was quite exciting for me.
      Keep looking! They hide in the strangest places.

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