WHERE ARE THEY?
Where do you find them? Everywhere. I find some in ads and auctions on the Internet. Others at antique shows, swap meets, auctions. Antique malls. Memorabilia shows. In garages; barns. Friends find them in their grandmother's attic. Estate sales. The classified ads in tonight's paper.
Part of the fun of collecting is the hunt.But the best part is walking out with a beautiful old machine, knowing you just found something GREAT. You just never know if you're going to find a rare and valuable Franklin, or perhaps a cute little red Corona No. 4, left.
I also regularly check and sometimes bid on typewriters on the online auction ebay. A word of warning however. Because of the worldwide nature of the internet and of ebay , prices are often a bit out of line (sometimes WAY out of line - that's MY opinion) when compared with what you can find at antique stores and malls. Further, typewriters are often overhyped and regularly misrepresented on internet auctions. Condition, too, can be overestimated. Know what you're buying before you bid. If the item says RARE, and there are 5 of that model listed, just maybe it isn't THAT rare.... Every typewriter listed on ebay is both 'vintage' and 'rare.' Most are neither.
Besides, it's more fun to poke through a musty old antique store and uncover the next typewriter treasure. Something about the thrill of the hunt, I suppose.
Updated 12.26.03Back to The Tanner Page