What is my Typewriter Worth?
A quick guide to help you get a general idea of what your typewriter is really worth.
The simplest answer to the question is this: a typewriter is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
When I started collecting, not a lot of people were interested in typewriters, and you could easily find decent typewriters for $10 and under. Nowadays, nearly everyone realizes that typewriters are somewhat valuable, and it's a lot more uncommon to come across a buyer who is willing to part with a typewriter for less than $20 (unless it's a rust-bucket). People are currently willing to pay much more for a typewriter than they did several years ago.
In terms of getting you what you're looking for- your typewriter's value, I must first issue this quick disclaimer: It's impossible for me to appraise your typewriter with 100% accuracy. Not only is the market for typewriters constantly changing, but there are thousands of makes/models, and every machine is in its own unique condition. Also consider the fact that in this guide, I am mainly writing this guide for Americans and perhaps Canadians- however this guide may still be helpful for those in other nations.
Overall Factors That Affect What Your Typewriter Is Worth:
- Condition - This factor is probably most influential in your typewriter's value. A typewriter in mint condition (but it seriously has to be MINT) will sell for exponentially more than the same beat-up model that may need work. For example: A mint Underwood No. 5may bring just over $1,000 while the same model in average condition- some paint loss, light metal pitting, worn labels, etc.- may struggle to bring $50-$100. Condition has many sub-factors, but both cosmetic and mechanical condition are very important to take into account. If the typewriter needs a new ribbon, it's not a huge deal, but if something is broken or missing and therefore the typewriter needs professional repair to work again, the value will be impacted significantly. It's impossible to tellhow much your typewriter's value will be hurt by any issues it may have, mostly because itdepends on the factors I mentioned in my disclaimer above.
- AS-IS vs. Serviced - This still relates to condition, but this is a point that needs to be mentioned. If you are selling a typewriter that was recently refurbished or professionally cleaned/serviced and needs absolutely no work to be used and enjoyed, you can rightfully demand a higher price. If your typewriter is dirty/dusty, needs a new ribbon, maybe has a few sticky keys, etc., and getting it serviced isn't really an option, you will not be able to sell your typewriter for as much as if it had been serviced. This is rather understandable, but if you base your TLC-needing typewriter's value off typewriters for sale on this site and typewriters that have been professionally serviced on eBay and Etsy, you will find yourself overpricing your typewriter and nobody will bother buying it- because it still needs work before it can be used to write, which the majority of the buyers arelooking for.
- Font - Most typewriters type in the "standard typewriter font," however there are typewriters with desirable fonts such as script/cursive, vogue, senatorial, etc... Vogue font is the most rare and desirable (For an example, see:http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/royalvogue.html) followed by cursive. A 1930s Royal Model P with Vogue font recently sold on eBay for $1,404, while a normal Model P in the same condition would maybe bring $100 or so. Cursive/scripttypewriters are a little more common, but can still increase the price to the point where it's noteworthy- but not nearly as much as Vogue! Other fonts may help a bit too, but as with many other things I have mentioned,it depends on exactly what you have.
- Is it Foreign? - In America, typewriters that are produced in Europe are generally more valuable and collectible- however it depends on the model. For example, the Olympia SM series, made in Western Germany(particularly the later models) were mass produced and exported in large numbers to America. In order for a foreign typewriter to affect the value significantly, it's best if the typewriter was not exported (in large numbers) to America. There are countlessexamples, but to name a few:Imperial Good Companion Model 1, Olivetti-Ico MP1/Rapida, Continental, Urania. European typewriters that were not made for American export usually have QWERTZ (German), AZERTY (French) or the English QWERTY layout with foreign characters that aren't found on American keyboards. Speaking of keyboards, other unique keyboards such as Hebrew, Russian, etc. are also more uncommon, particularly in America, and usually sell for more. American-made typewriters that were made for export can also demand a bit more than normal, but it depends on the typewriter. The last concept is simple:American-made typewriters in Europe are generally worth more than American typewriters that are in America, and vice-versa.
- Desktop vs. Portable - Currently, the vast majority of buyers aremainly interestedin portables. People more commonly like to have a typewriter that can be stowed away in a nice little case. Desktops may type really nice and sometimes look really nice, but they are heavy, take up a lot of room, and are pretty much limited to a desk, whereas a portable is more like a laptop computer. Desktops are also harder and more expensive to ship, so you're usually better off trying to sell a desktop locally. Additionally, portables sold without their carrying cases are also less valuable than the same model that includes its carrying case.
- There are many other determining factors other than the previous five! Continue to read below.
Typewriter Eras
A very basic overview of typewriter history and
values associated with those time periods.
The Beginning - 1870s-1910 (roughly) |
Perfection & Pre-War - 1910s-1940 The Great Depression also spawned some rather valuable typewriters, such as the Remington 3B and Remington Bantam (both are on the right). Remington and other typewriter companies (Royal, L.C. Smith & Corona, Underwood) cut down on manufacturing costs by leaving out many features and producing bare-boned typewriters in order to sell to a market with limited money for spending. Many of the typewriters produced during the depression (1930s) are rather uncommon because limited numbers were produced and sold. These models were also marked in some cases as "Junior" models, and so if you have one, I encourage you to do more research. Plenty more information can be located on other sites regarding Depression era typewriters. You may also notice that the Remington Bantam shown has color-coded keys. This is because typewriter companies also used their "minimalized"typewriters to help teach kids how to touch type, and perhaps even develop brand loyalty. Remington was the main company behind this idea. If you have one of these machines, I encourage you to do more research, as you likely have a $100-$500 machine on you hands- depending on condition. | More info on depression era typewriters can be found here: http://machinesoflovinggrace.com/depression.htm |
WWII & Post-War - 1941-1970s Typewriters made during and for the war tend to be rather uncommon and collectible, because of their historic significance. Occasionally, you'll find a typewriter that is authentically marked "US Army" or "US Navy," and sometimes (mostly in Europe) you may find typewriters like my Olympia Robust shown at the right, which were produced for the Nazis, and could be brought home to the US as a war trophy. If you have a war-machine on your hands, you not only have a piece of history, but perhaps a rather valuable typewriter. I suggest doing more research. Some can be worth $100-$1,000 depending on what it is. On the other hand, most post-war machines are not nearly as uncommon and collectible. By the decade following the war, the glass & chrome-ringed keys started to become a thing of the past, and keys were increasingly plastic. By this time, pretty much every household had at least one portable typewriter, and so the post-war typewriters are usually very common and not too valuable for the most part in comparison to the earlier pre-war machines (with some exceptions being rare, collectible European machines). In terms of value, the post-war typewriters that need work and aren't anything special are sold for less than $100 in most cases. Most typewriters from this era were mass produced and were very successful, so there are many thousands of each still floating around. |
Electrics & The End - 1958-1980s |