Sears Portable (Brother)

$165 (plus shipping if outside of the Detroit area)

Meet “Stephanie,” a working Sears Portable typewriter from 1980 that a brand-new first grade teacher in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan used to plan her classes.

Made in Japan by Brother for trusty retailer Sears, this ultraportable typewriter is a sensible white with an all-steel body. Its carriage moves well, the bell rings clearly at the end of each line, and all of the keys strike and fall back smoothly. The “A” key strikes a bit out of line with the others, lending a unique, slightly quirky touch to your typing. We have priced the machine accordingly. Please see photos for a type sample.

This featherweight manual machine features a classic serif typeface in elite, which is a compact 12 characters per inch. It has a black-and-red ribbon installed so that it’s ready to capture your words right out of the box (and look great on your desk at the same time).

This vintage typewriter features a “touch control” lever to the left of the keyboard that allows you to adjust how much force is required to strike each letter to your personal preference. To the right of the keyboard is the ribbon color selector.

“Stephanie” measures about 12 inches X 12 inches X 4 inches and arrives with its original black plastic case-top to protect it in transit. Cosmetically, the machine is in generally good condition with only a few small scratches in the paint on the lower front corners (please see photos.)