Mr. Bill Berry's Etsy Shop: Items That Intrigue - Machine of the Month: 1930s Olympia SM1

If you know me you know I'm a writer, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am a big fan of old fashioned mechanical typewriters. There’s nothing like the feel of a real machine under your fingers — the clack of the keys, the ding at the end of every line, the carriage flying back. Every one of these typewriters has a history in it. Somebody wrote love letters on it, or term papers, or maybe the great American novel. My buddy Jay and I rescue them, clean them up, and find them homes where they’ll get typed on again instead of collecting dust on a shelf. And each month, we'll be featuring one machine (or item) from our Etsy shop, itemsthatintrigue If this one speaks to you, it can be yours... Machine of the month: a 1930s Olympia SM1. Classic German design, and an absolute joy to type on.

The rubber report — because we always give you the rubber report: the platen on this one is well-preserved, and the machine has been thoroughly cleaned and serviced. It's type-ready, with a fresh ribbon, ready to go the day it arrives.

The SM1 is one of those machines that reminds you why Olympia earned its reputation: solid, precise, dependable. German engineering from an era when things were built to be fixed, not replaced.

We keep these wonderful machines in circulation because they deserve to be typed on, not shelved. This SM1 is in the shop now at $465 — when it's gone, it's gone, and we'll feature another machine next month.

See it here: 1930s Olympia SM1 on Etsy