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Army typewriter?


phantomfixer
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phantomfixer

A lot on the internet about this being called a military typewriter...or at least military green...no US property tags that I can see...would the Army have issued typewriters...they issued stick pins...

The color is right...

 

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Dig it...thanks guys.......I would have thought with stick pins and pens having a part number, the common typewriter would have been an issue item...

 

Read a book about a Marine Combat correspondent, carrying his personal typewriter around the islands in WWII...one of his stories he wrote about the field HQ getting blown up along with the very important HQ typewriter...seems they were able to find a replacement in a Japanese HQ...

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This was made as part of their L.C. Smith Secretarial series: this color was called "Walnut Green." and was advertised to the general public and I don't think there's anything to link it to military issue other than the color being close to olive drab.

 

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Yeah.. I am gonna pass on it and leave it in the store...we paid 15 bones for it...so it should move quick...I was thinking of putting on my field desk...when doing field displays

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OD green was a fairly popular color for for office equipment, furniture, and accessories throughout the late 19th century and early 20th century. The only color that was more popular was black. You'll also see a lot of vintage filing cabinets that are OD green, that have nothing to do with the military. Basically, it was seen as a nice, professional color for an office environment. The Edison Dictaphone (a machine that made sound recordings onto cylinder records) is a great example of a non-military business appliance that is commonly seen in a color that we might consider "OD green".

 

Really, any basic late 1930s portable typewriter would work great for a field desk display. There was even a program during WW2 for the public to donate their typewriters to the military.

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I must say it is probably a civilian typewriter painted green. I would dig it if it was one of those US Army issue Coronas, the rarest of the rare!

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  • 2 weeks later...

Nothing military about it. Several already pointed out here why, but it's a standard civilian typewriter.

I must say it is probably a civilian typewriter painted green.


No, they made plenty of these in that color. It was a very popular color for civilian typewriters in the late 20s to early 30s.
I've been offered countless numbers of these over the years by people thinking they can cash in with a correspondent collector for a 'military' typewriter, and most get ticked when I send them info showing it was a normal color...

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I looked at a grouping once years ago.The lady had her step fathers issue typewriter.It was a Smith Corona.It had a crinkle finish to it,I think green or grey.It didn't have a U.S. property tag on it.He was in the 29th.Division.

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I looked at a grouping once years ago.The lady had her step fathers issue typewriter.It was a Smith Corona.It had a crinkle finish to it,I think green or grey.It didn't have a U.S. property tag on it.He was in the 29th.Division.

 

Coronas had a medium to dark grey crinkle finish to them through the late 30s and early 40s before they stopped making them for the duration. Check out the one to the left in my collection.

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Typewriters used by military personnel in WW2 are typically not military property marked like the field gear, radio equipment, weapons, etc. that many collectors love to find so clearly labeled as being made for the armed forces.

 

There are some types that are often marked, especially US Navy radio "mill" units. These have only capital letters and the number "0" has a slash through it (so it can't be confused with the letter "O"). These were used by radio personnel performing manual copying of morse-code messages. However, any typewriter that has clearly original US military markings is fairly rare. I have seen a few examples of Corona portables with military (Army and Navy) markings on the top of the ribbon spool cover.

 

Really, any basic gray/black late 1930s to early 1940s portable typewriter would be a good representation of what was used in the field throughout WW2 by military personnel.

 

That 1930s Hermes Baby Featherweight is a beautiful little machine. I wonder if it was a private purchase or one of the typewriters donated to the military when typewriters were found to be in short supply to the armed forces? Hermes is a well regarded typewriter manufacturer, likely thanks to the quality Swiss craftsmanship.

 

I've always had my eyes open for a typewriter marked "US Army"/"US Navy" or to a WW2 unit or veteran. One day I'll find one!

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Here is my Medical Department-issued typewrite, produced by Royal. As you can see, the top is clearly marked with "U.S.A. M.D.":

 

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Thanks,

Ben.

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Thanks for the updates!!! Robin...just what I was looking for...these must be rare birds...would be nice to find a matched set..1 RR typewriter, and 1 RR 191A1...

 

Thanks for the pics...

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I have not looked at my typewriter in a few years but it is marked Army Air Forces...guess I need to get that out again. All I can remember is that I really had to look for the markings.

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Weren't the MC-88's postwar typewriters?

That 1930s Hermes Baby Featherweight is a beautiful little machine. I wonder if it was a private purchase or one of the typewriters donated to the military when typewriters were found to be in short supply to the armed forces? Hermes is a well regarded typewriter manufacturer, likely thanks to the quality Swiss craftsmanship.

 

I've always had my eyes open for a typewriter marked "US Army"/"US Navy" or to a WW2 unit or veteran. One day I'll find one!

That Hermes is marked with the personal stamp of a Army Captain, on the body and the lid.

Hermes machines were NOT cheap and very desirable due to how small and light they were.

The USMC combat correspondents were issued Hermes 'Baby' model typewriters.

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