Saturday, February 19, 2011

Swissa Junior Bulletin/Display Portable Typewriter (1950s)

It's never an ideal situation to have a duplicate typewriter in the collection, but as soon as I saw this Swissa Junior on a Swiss auction site late last year (November, I think it was), I just about drooled in anticipation. I have an identical Swissa Junior, but it has a techno typeface and instead of this delicious eggshell blue, it is two shades of blah grey.

Besides, this typewriter has a giant display/ bulletin typeface that I have been searching for quite earnestly ever since I found an Olympia SM-3 with the same type style at Retro Technica last year, but declined to get it for space reasons. When it comes to collecting typewriters, living in barely 500 square feet really harshes my buzz, forcing me to look for the smallest machines possible lest I end up storing typewriters on the balcony (like some others who shall remain unnamed!).

I believe the fellow who I purchased this from was something of a collector as well - he had two other typewriters listed at the same time as this one, and the others had different typefaces as well (one Hermes 3000 pica and one Olympia SM-7 techno). I only had eyes for the Swissa, though, and the auction lasted a seemingly interminable ten days as I refreshed the page each morning and gnawed my fingernails.

My fears turned out to have been well-founded, as a sniper tried to butt in during the last few minutes, but thankfully he gave up after a few tries and this was mine! It arrived in the mail a few days later, securely packaged and including the key to the case and original manual. Given that just a few days before I saw this auction, I had been outbid on an identical typewriter listed on eBay Germany, this was a very nice early Christmas present.

Now that it's here, I'm not really sure why I made such a big fuss, to be honest (*hangs head sheepishly, kicks stones*). Most of it was so I could add to my "type style collection", which I showed in the previous post. (Technically, that collection is far from being complete, and if I found a fraktur typewriter, I would lust after that too. I did on eBay a couple of times last year, actually, and I discovered just how shallow my pockets are! Gothic script is highly sought after.)

As for the practical uses of this typewriter, I'd be hard-pressed to say. I have mainly used it to address envelopes, and it could also come in handy for the occasional typecast if desired - the sans-serif type is not unattractive. Given that it does not get all that much use, I am glad that it is at least very pretty and well-maintained, and it is small enough that I have no trouble hanging on to it.

Swissas are not very common in the States, but just last week a typewriter identical to this one - it is the exact same color and also has a Swiss keyboard - sold on eBay US. Pity the seller did not put up a typing sample...

7 comments:

  1. I love that logo it should go on a mug!

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  2. Beautiful machine! Looks immaculate and straight out of the shop, as if bought just a few hours ago. Right now, I am negotiating the purchase of an identical machine, but all white (reminds me of a refrigerator), in equally nice condition.

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  3. Cosy colour indeed! What's the serial number?

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  4. That's a fantastically lovely machine. You can never have too many of those.

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  5. I have one with some issues, do you know the estimated price of this beauty SWISSA JUNIOR?

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