Corona Standard Speedline Portable Typewriter

Richard Polt was right when he said there would be a rewarding upside to moving hundreds of typewriters. Inevitably, at least one absolute beauty will emerge from the bottom of the pile.
On the first of five visits to the larger of two storage units in Fyshwick, to clean it out of all typewriters and their cases, just such a thing happened.

Earlier in the year, I well recall wondering, for one reason or another, whether I had a “Speedline” Smith-Corona in my collection.

After moving the first 15 or 16 typewriters, there it was, a real black beauty, a 1938 Corona Standard.

Once I got it home, there was of course an irresistible urge to type with it. I grabbed the first ribbon that came to hand. 

Unfortunately, the day before, someone had given me six pale blue plastic boxes containing “Mastertype black film ribbon” – and I happened to put one of those in the old Corona. Not a good idea. The Corona’s razor sharp typeslugs bit into and spat out pieces of “film ribbon” like ravenous lions.

It’s clear from the typecast that bits of ribbon were flying in all directions. Still, I think it scans OK. Regardless of it not being the most suitable ribbon, the Corona typed magnificently.

The L.C.Smith & Corona “Speedline” series, designed by Al Avery, was introduced in 1938. Corona’s conversion of its Syracuse and Groton factories to armaments-making in late 1942 meant typewriters were put on hold. But after the war Corona resumed full production of the "Speedline" series, before it was superseded at the end of 1949 by the 5 Series.

In March 1942 the US Government stopped the sale and delivery of typewriters, and in October of that year production ended. It resumed at Syracuse in February 1944. In the meantime, Corona had many models assembled at its  Canadian “branch plant”.

Corona established the “branch plant” in Toronto in 1929, just three years after the merger of L.C.Smith and Corona.
The Toronto plant was initially an assembly point, with parts shipped across the border. The idea was to beat import restrictions in other parts of what was then known as the British Empire, including Australia and New Zealand. In Australia, Remington did the same thing at the same time, starting a "branch plant" in Sydney.

Many Corona portable typewriters continued to be labelled “Made in Canada” until well into the 1950s, before Corona eventually moved production to West Bromwich in England in the early 60s. The Toronto company was known as “L.C.Smith & Corona Typewriters of Canada Limited”.

My Corona Standard has the serial number 2C188473, which means it was made in 1938. This was the year A.O.Dawson took over as vice-president of Corona's Canadian operation - he became president in 1952.

The Typewriter Age Guide states the Corona Standard 2C line went to  2C198000 in 1938 and to 2C202000 in 1939. It adds that the Standard then became the Clipper. However, Dirk Shumann's Typewriter Database gives slighter higher figures: 2C200284 in 1938 and 2C223542 in 1939. The database numbers of this series, including the Standard (and Clipper?), Silent and Sterling, are given below,

Alan Seaver describes the “Speedline” design as “somewhat belatedly reflecting the futuristic, organic Art Nouveau style that had begun to move from architecture into industrial products in the 1930s.”

Alan Seaver Collection, 2A40715

Alan says his Speedline Sterling (above) is “one of my favourite typers, both to look at and to use”.

Here is Richard Polt's similar Speedline Sterling:

Richard Polt Collection, 2A51871

Corona Standard ("C") (Floating Shift)

2C-Series

To 2C 200284 1938

2C 223542 1939

2C 250439 1940 (Clipper?)

2C 251475 1941

3C-Series

3C 242600 1940

3C 269927 1941

3C 282618 1942

3C 300600 1943

3C 318300 1944

3C 348593 1945

4C-Series

4C 112627 1945

4C 142253 1946

4C 188264 1947

4C 241798 1948

Corona Silent ("S") (Floating Shift)

2S 71813 1939

2S 79519 1939

2S 83687 1940

3S 90045 1940

2S 83999 1941

3S 98577 1941

3S 102148 1942

3S 102159 1944

4S 101500 1945

4S 119969 1946

4S 151433 1947

4S 195646 1948

4S 209057 1949

Corona Sterling ("A") (Floating Shift)

2A-Series

2A 50694 1938

2A 52335 1939

2A 72812 1940

2A 73257 1941

3A-Series

3A 74288 1940

3A 97291 1941

3A 107499 1942

3A 107506 1945

4A-Series

4A 106881 1945

4A 161854 1946

4A 227084 1947

4A 292044 1948

4A 307060 1949