Pink Royal Futura 800

$295 (plus shipping if outside of the Detroit area)

Meet “Geraldine,” a working 1961 Royal Futura 800 typewriter in its original gorgeous dusty pink and gray. This manual, portable typewriter began life on the desk of an Ann Arbor, Michigan PhD student.

Made in the USA, this space-race era typewriter works well, with a carriage that glides and a bell that rings clearly at the end of each line. All of its keys strike and fall back smoothly. It features a classic serif typeface that Royal named “Merit Pica,” which is a comfortable 10 characters per inch (please see photos for a type sample).

Additionally, under the hood, you’ll find touch control, so you can adjust how much force it takes to strike each key to your personal preference, as well as a color selector for the ribbon so you can use a two-color ribbon if you so choose. There is a black ribbon installed, plus a new one will also be included, so you will be ready to write for many, many pages right out of the box.

With its curvy mid-century styling (see photos), this pink and grey typewriter — whose colorway was sometimes called “salmon and charcoal” — has strong Mad Men vibes. The durable 13” x 13” x 5” body is in overall good cosmetic condition, with the pleasing, bright red Royal badge complimenting the pink top nicely, and serving a second duty as a button that opens the ribbon hood.

“Geraldine” arrives protected by its original tan faux-leather case which clamps the typewriter’s feet to hold it securely in transit. This case is a rarity because it is in very good, undented condition, (albeit with a missing handle), ready to travel in style just like it was back in the early 1960s.