Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter
Hunlock Creek PA
2018

1933
Underwood Standard Portable Typewriter
Standard Four Bank Keyboard
E-Series
Serial Number E664134

product of
Underwood Elliott Fisher Co.
Protected by United States
and Foreign Patents
Made in U.S.A.

https://www.txantiquemall.com/underwood-typewriter-history-value-models-a-complete-guide/

Click, clack goes the keys as the secretary types minutes of a meeting. Do you ever wonder about the little contraption stenographers still use in the courts? Doesn’t the modern mobile phone keypad fascinate you?

Long before QWERTY phones and IBM computers, Underwood was a reigning champion. When someone alludes to an antique typewriter, you almost always think of the Underwood No. 5. Since Typewriters are common machines, what makes this brand so unique?

We’ll give you detailed information on the evolution of the infamous Underwood Typewriter, including identification and valuation tips.

Before we proceed, here’s a quick lesson on the parts of a typewriter. It will help you flow with the article better.

The Carriage: This refers to the movable part on top of the keyboard. It can take the form of a box or tube, depending on the model. It has a guide that holds the paper in place as you type.
The carriage also hosts all other mechanisms for the typewriter, including the return lever and escapement.

Platen: This device looks like a roller and fits in the carriage. The guide holds the paper in place with its firm surface.

Keytops: The keys on the keyboard have keytops as character indicators. They double comfortable coverings for easy typing.

Keyboard: The keyboard holds all the key characters of the typewriter.

Ribbons: This thin cloth (polymer, mylar) soaked in ink impresses letters from the keys through the typebars onto the paper. It’s often black but has unique reds and black-edge variants.

Typebars: These devices are the metal arms that imprint characters from the keys on the paper.

Each typebar has two different characters in the front and on the back. The front keys have uppercase and lowercase alphabets, while number keys have punctuations as their alternative.

There are also shift keys that you can use to create alternate impressions. The type basket combines the typebar and the device linking it to the key.

Return lever: The carriage return lever pushes the carriage back to the start position. As you type, the carriage moves from its static post to the paper’s end, so you return it with the lever for the next line.

The Evolution Of The Underwood Typewriter
The history of the Underwood Typewriter is an interesting one, and it dates back to the end of the 19th century. Before Underwood entered the typewriter manufacturing business, more than a handful of typewriter brands already existed. The first manufacturer was an Italian printer in 1575.

Over the 16th to mid-19th century, other manufacturers dabbled into typewriter production. In 1714, Henry Mill patented his design. Then came Agostino Fantoni, who built a typewriter to honor his blind sister.

By 1908, Pellegrino Turro invented the carbon paper addition, so the list went on until 1874.

Around this time, Underwood was already a major manufacturing company – however, they made ink ribbons.

They supplied primarily to Remington until the latter ended their long-standing contract. Remington decided to make their ribbons instead of outsourcing, so Underwood decided to make its typewriters.

German-Austrian inventor Franz Xavier Wagner created the first Underwood Typewriter. This he sold to John T. Underwood. Between 1896 and 1900 (four-five years), the pair made the No. 1 and No. 2 models under Wagner Typewriter Co’s patent.

By the 1920s, the Underwood Typewriter reigned supreme amongst the numerous existing brands. It achieved this feat with three upgraded design elements – Four Rows Straight Keyboard, A Single Shift Key, and Front Striking Bars.

These upgrades increased the typewriter’s speed and overall efficiency. It was a welcome change for the blind typing users. Here are some noticeable upgrades the Underwood introduced

Front Striking Bars
Other typewriters before Underwood used a blind typing mechanism. The Striking Keys were at the bottom, so users lifted the carriage to see what they typed. This system was slow and error-ridden, but the front striking bars solved that problem.

With the front striking bars, writers could see the keys hitting the plate in plain view. They noticed errors and fixed them pronto.

Single Shift Keys
Underwood typewriters use a single shift key as opposed to other’s different keyboard mechanisms. Having the shift key on one board made typing faster.

Four Row Straight Keyboard
The four-row straight keyboard accommodated more keys than the three-row straight one. It included an enter key and the single shift key for efficient typing.

The Underwood No. 1 wasn’t the first to use these three mechanisms, but its engineering beat its 1893 predecessor – the Daugherty.

The lack of a seesaw ribbon color selector in its build added appeal allowed the Underwood Typewriter to win the Gold Medal at the Paris Exposition in 1900.

Underwood made their antique models No. 1 and No. 2 between 1896–1900. The No. 3 – No. 4 trended between 1901–1919 (the last two models qualified in 2019.) By 1920, the popular Underwood No. 5 became the T-model for every other typewriter.

By 1939, the company boasted five million No. 5 models. Other Underwood models are No. 6-11, Electric, Portable (with three rows), and Noiseless. In 1963, the Underwood company merged officially with Olivetti after selling its controlling stake in 1959.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Underwood_Typewriter_Company

The Underwood Typewriter Company was an American manufacturer of typewriters headquartered in New York City, with manufacturing facilities in Hartford, Connecticut. Underwood produced what is considered the first widely successful, modern typewriter. By 1939, Underwood had produced five million machines.

Some writers who had endorsed with Underwood typewriters such as William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway and Robert E. Howard.