Olympia SM3 (1954)

$475 (plus shipping if outside of the Detroit area)

Meet “Tom,” a working Olympia SM3 typewriter from 1954 that an adventurous Lansing, Michigan playwright used to compose 11 musicals (and countless coin collector newsletters).

Made in Germany, this portable typewriter’s curvy metal body features Olympia’s original green crinkle paint with black keys and gleaming chrome accents. The carriage moves well and all of its keys strike and fall back smoothly. The bell rings clearly at the end of each line. This Olympia, like most, features a satisfyingly smooth and snappy type-feel.

“Tom” has a special serif typeface called Congress Pica, which is a font similar to an old pulp fiction paperpack. The type size is 10 characters per inch.. Please see the photos for a type sample. It features a nice dark black-and-red ribbon installed on its original spools, so you’ll be ready to type the moment you open the box. Conveniently, this machine takes standard-spool typewriter ribbon.

In addition to being in good condition mechanically, this vintage typewriter is in good condition cosmetically as well, with only one small scratch on the top left of the lid (see photo).

Olympias are known as precision-built machines meant to be workhorses in perpetuity and this specific manual typewriter fits that bill well, still offering a solid typing experience now nearly 70 years after it was made. As you may know, the “DeLuxe” versions of Olympias are more feature-rich than their standard siblings. This luxurious manual machine includes touch control under the hood, so you can adjust the strike-force needed to type to suit your own preference.

With a combination of style and craftsmanship, it’s little wonder that SM3s have been a favorite of writers across genres, including John Updike, Patricia Highsmith, director John Hughes, and Dune’s Frank Herbert, to name just a few.

It includes its original streamlined silver wooden travel case, which protects the vintage typewriter inside well.

This SM3 will lend a midcentury lift to your writing while also looking seriously beautiful on display in all of its original green wonder.