Olympia Splendid 33

$240 (Plus Shipping if Not Detroit-Area)

Meet “Clara,” a working Olympia Splendid 33 portable typewriter from 1960 that a gift shop proprietress used to track her inventory.

This ultra-portable typewriter is almost identical to the Olympia SF typewriter from this era. This Splendid is mid-century gorgeous with an off-white steel body and maroon keys. Made in Germany, this very slim manual machine’s carriage glides and all of the keys strike and fall back well. The little bell clinks to signal the end of each line, though somewhat quietly. Olympias are known as precision-built machines meant to be workhorses for decades and this specific typewriter continues to offer a smooth typing experience.

This vintage typewriter sports a German QWERTZ keyboard, which just means the Y and the Z are switched compared to a standard QWERTY layout. This Olympia also has extra keys for umlauts, accent marks, a German paragraph symbol, and more.

This Splendid arrives with a fresh black ribbon already installed so it’s ready to write straight out of its case. The typeface is a standard typewriterly serif set in continental elite, which is a pleasing 11 characters per inch. Please see photos for a type sample.

Cosmetically, this vintage typewriter is in good condition, with only slight wear in the paint on a couple of the corners (see photos).

“Clara” will arrive in its soft-sided black carrying case, which zips closed to protect the machine.

For shipment, we take great care in packing each typewriter well, with the carriage stabilized, the type basket packed so the letters don’t move, plenty of bubble wrap cocooning the machine, and a sturdy box that snugly fits all of the packing material cushioning the machine.

After purchase, we will send you a custom video showing some basic instructions for using your machine, as well as the packing process of your typewriter.