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Monday, 30 May 2011

Wow! What a Typewriter! The L.C.Smith No 1 No 1

If this L.C.Smith and Brothers Model 1 Serial No 1 typewriter has survived somewhere, somehow, these past 107 years, it should at least have its own highlighted spot in the Smithsonian, if a Typewriter Hall of Fame can't be created just in its honour.
Read what the Smith-Corona News special 50th anniversary magazine wrote about it in January 1953:

Chicago's Norman Saksvig

Image of the No 1 from Thomas A.Russo's Mechanical Typewriters: Their History, Value, and Legacy (2002).

Here is the story of the No 1's development, from the same publication:
Swedish-born Carl Gabrielson
at

12 comments:

  1. Richard P30 May 2011 at 02:40

    Impressive. The LC Smith is a great typewriter and evidently the very first one to roll off the assembly one was already Right.

    In one of their ETCetera issues, Chuck and Rich document finding a Royal 10 with serial number 1! It was offered at an auction, without any indication of its special nature. Maybe LC Smith #1 #1 will also turn up like this someday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Moroz16 July 2011 at 20:50

    hello! i have one l. c. smith no.1, couldn't find her serial, the only mark, in very big letters, under the machine, is 1-3X.
    do you think it can be a prototype?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Robert Messenger19 July 2011 at 17:35

    Hi Moroz. Sorry I haven't got back to you on this earlier. I'm going to have to dig out my Smith Premier to see where the serial number is. Will message you as soon as I do.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sophie22 June 2012 at 03:23

    Hi Robert,

    Did you ever figure out where the serial number is located? I'd like to find it on my No. 1 as well, but haven't been able to pin point it!

    Thanks for a great blog post -- very informative.

    Best,
    Sophie

    ReplyDelete
  5. Robert Messenger22 June 2012 at 13:01

    Hi Sophie (and Moroz, if you are still hunting). Thanks Sophie for your kind words. I posted a list of where to find serial numbers on old typewriters at http://oztypewriter.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/where-to-find-typewriter-serial-number.html

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  6. Sophie26 June 2012 at 05:48

    Thank you very much, Robert! This is very helpful!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ms. Howe2 September 2012 at 12:50

    Where would one bring a #1 #1 for appraisal?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Robert Messenger2 September 2012 at 14:31

    Where are you?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous21 February 2013 at 06:17

    Robert, I am located in west central wisconsin. I have an lc smith that I need appraised--it appears to have 1-1 serial #. Would like your advice

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anonymous21 February 2013 at 15:10

    Forgive my casual grammar, I was in a hurry. Perhaps I could send you a photo of my typewriter for your opinion?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Robert Messenger21 February 2013 at 18:19

    Not sure what you meant by appraisal. If you mean a valuation, sorry, I don't do that, for a whole range of reasons. I'd certainly have no idea what such a typewriter would be worth in the US.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Anonymous22 February 2013 at 03:20

    I just thought you might be interested--I'm looking to discover if this is, indeed, the 1-1.

    ReplyDelete

I do not accept anonymous comments.
I only allow comments under User IDs provided I know who that person is.
Do not ask me to evaluate typewriters.
Comments must be relevant to the post.
As the author of these posts, I make the decisions about what they contain - it is not open to discussion.