I have a dozen typewriters in my collection, but I’m still on the lookout for these machines: The Olympia SG1, Olivetti Lettera 22, and the Facit TP1.
Olympia SG1
First and foremost is the Olympia SG-1. By all accounts, this thing is an elegant workhorse. I love my Royal KMG and my Hermes Ambassador, and while collecting is fun, there is only so much room for standard typewriters that don’t tuck away in neat little cases. Still… there’s a calming feeling when I look at this machine. It looks solid and durable and capable. What more could you want from a machine? Oh, what’s that? A paper injector? The SG-1 has you covered.
Olivetti Lettera 22
Moving from Germany to Italy, I would love to take the Olivetti Lettera 22 for a spin. It may be boring, but I love the gray/green with the round keytops. The design is clean and elegantly simple. I confess, I’ve never typed on one, but from what I understand, these are solid, dependable portables.
Facit TP1
There’s something about this machine that speaks to me. Maybe it’s due to its Swedish heritage and resultant no-nonsense design. Or maybe it’s the lore out there that, although potentially fragile (fra-gee-lay?), these machines type oh-so very well and the carriage return glides like an angel in flight. Whatever the truth, I’d like to experience it first hand.
In and of itself, these typewriters aren’t particularly rare, but my hope is to find them in the wild at a reasonable price, maybe showing signs of use or layers of dust and ash and eraser bits. To bring one (all!) of these back to working would be a joy, so I’ll keep my eyes peeled and see if I can manifest the appearance of these beauties.