Found this one in an Avalon NJ “Antiques” shop. Not sure if it is repairable, as none of the keys will move, and in fact, lack any real connection to the type bars, which, curiously, are lacking type. The staff at the shop weren’t very helpful either, referring me mainly to the price tag, and glancing nervously at the door in response to questions about warranty, follow-up service calls, replacement parts, etc. It is also only about 8 inches wide. After some cogitation, I have decided that the only possible explanation (other than it’s being a decorative item) is that this was in fact an ultra-rare “decoy” typewriter, used by harried pulp fiction authors with children. Its mode of use: toss the machine across one’s cramped studio apartment; the kids would then run after it, to press on its keys and chirp “Ding!” over and over, buying the beleaguered writer a few moments of peace to finish a page and a half per fling.
Perhaps Richard Polt can tell us what real typewriter this machine is paying tribute to!
i’d guess a prop. the lack of type bars leads me to that conclusion. is it mostly metal? weird how that space bar bowed there.
Yeah,it was made by someone looking at a picture, I bet.
I only hope it wasn’t too expensive!
I have actually seen these imported all-metal machines off and on for a couple years. First, they began appearing in stores like TJ Maxx, and were duplicates of Underwood machines but at something like 3/5 scale. Later, machines like the one you show here have begun to appear and I’ve actually seen a number that said “Gourland” on the paper table. That’s one of the rarest of all machines — the four bank Gourland portable — and I wonder why they picked that. This looks similar.
Of course, one time I was at one of these stores with a friend when I pointed one out which had a price of like $85 on it or something (the Underwood version) and, knowing my hobby fairly well, she said something along the lines of “you’d never pay that much for a real one of those, right?” I said “well….. no.” So; just get a real one!