Hermes 3000

$400 (Plus shipping if outside Detroit area)

Meet “Claude,” a working Hermes 3000 typewriter from 1975 that hitched a ride with its adventurous owner on a year in Michigan as an exchange student.

The Hermes 3000 is the stuff of legend: well-made, known for its smooth typing experience, beloved as one of the best typewriter models ever. This specific vintage typewriter has a standard serif typeface that is 12 characters per inch, a size known as ‘elite.’ Please see photos for a type sample. Further, all of its keys strike and fall back well, its carriage moves smoothly, and the little bell rings at the end of each line. It has a brand new black ribbon freshly installed so you can start typing right out of the box.

This Hermes 3000 has a German QWERTZ keyboard, which is very similar to the standard American QWERTY keyboard but just has its Z and Y keys switched. This machine flexes its international flair further with a circumflex, a cedilla, assorted accents, and umlaut keys.

Please note: While the margin setting function works well, the traditional red ribbon mechanism that runs through the paper bale to give a visual indication of where the margins are set is missing..

This substantial portable typewriter is an excellent example of the third generation of Hermes 3000s, with a boxy plastic body in white rather than the more common Hermes seafoam green.

Made in France, this Hermes 3000 also includes a four-point ribbon selector, that allows you to get even more use out of every ribbon in addition to using a two-color ribbon if you so choose. It has “touch control” right on the face of the machine that lets you adjust how much force is required to strike each key to your own preference, though because of the machine’s incredible engineering, the typing experience is always pleasingly buttery. No wonder everyone from Jack Kerouac to Tom Hanks has been a fan.

This wonderful manual typewriter arrives ready for use in its matching, textured clamshell casetop.

Hermes 3000s are in high demand across the board because of the pleasure of their typing experience. Now you have the chance to experience one.

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.