Our Collection and Virtual Museum

What is today the Davis Bros. typewriter collection initially began in 1999 as an investigatory tool for research into the history of what most people would call modern, mass produced portable typewriters.  Many makes and models were acquired, including machines not only made in the United States, but in Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Japan, and later on many other countries.  These machines were seen all over Will's original websites (the Portable Typewriter Reference Site, mainly) and introduced many marques to the collecting world which had never been thoroughly researched and cataloged prior.

During that phase, antique machines were obtained from time to time, but the real beginning of our collection of antique machines began on one day in which Will obtained a Sun Standard No. 2 for $45 in complete working order, a Harris Visible No. 4 and a Monarch No. 2.  This launched our interest into the time period around the appearance of visible writing, standard machines - which eventually became a website section every bit as important historically as the Portable Typewriter Reference Site.  Since that time we've enjoyed a double sided experience as collectors and authors - pushing ahead with researching modern portables, while at the same time pushing ahead research and writing on antique typewriters.

While we can't list every single machine we own, below is a listing of some of the machines that we really like, which are unusual, are attractive, are hard to find in the Americas or which are of interest to collectors and/or typists.

Please take a stroll through this small virtual version of our collection.  Almost all photos will enlarge when clicked.   (This page revised, rebuilt August 2015.)

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Adler Standard (1938)

Adler Favorit  four-bank, thrust action portable

Allen serial 4341 

AMC (rebranding of late ALPINA)

Annell No. 3A

AVONA (rebrand of Alpina)

Bar-Let Model 2  serial 37613

Barr Typewriter serial 2521

Betz Visible serial 20509   Only known example of this machine.

Blick 90 serial K1093

Blick Universal serial 215957

Note on below: The Burroughs Series 50 is the fully manual Burroughs typewriter, while the Burroughs Series 60 is the "Burroughs Electric Typewriter" with electric carriage return and electric shift.

Burroughs Series 50  serial 51A 80724

Burroughs Series 50  serial 51A 261068  with decimal tabulator and right hand tabulator key

Clover 302 portables (two identical; mfd. in South Korea beginning 1978. Serial numbers are 806782 and 811201.)

Cole-Steel (numerous examples, including that originally owned by John Cameron Swayze as seen below)

Collegiate (relabeled alternate body style of ABC)

Consul Silent

Consul 1511 portables

Consul 221.1

Continental serial 672780 manufactured 1938

Continental Silenta  serial 742545 manufactured 1938

Corona 3 (Std Typ Co)

Corona Four (Light Maroon)

Corona Four  serial 1F 3078, manufactured 1934; late, flat top style for the Four

Corona Junior  serial 1J 2070, manufactured 1935

DeJur Triumph Standard

deluxe (rebranded Consul 1511 sold on German market)

Demountable No. 1

Demountable No. 2

Diana (portable mfd. by Royal in former Bing plant, West Germany; see "Royal Diana" below)

Emerson No. 3  serial 10576

Everest K2 portables (two different machines)

Everest K3 (unusual, short lived flat portable)

Fox No. 4  with decimal tabulator (sold!)

Fox Visible No. 24 serial P1355 21355

Fox Portable No. 1 serial 1364

Grant's 737 and Grant's 707 Gullwing Electric.  Both portables manufactured for W T Grant department stores by Nakajima in Japan.  737 on left is manual; 707 on right is electro-mechanical.

Groma Combina (short lived "small office" machine with removable carriage)

Halberg Traveler

Hammond Multiplex (Aluminum frame, non-folding portable)

Harris Visible No. 4     serial 22925

Harris Visible No. 4    serial 24568

Harris Visible No. 4    serial 106723

Harris Visible No. 4    serial 107931  Mfd. by Rex Typewriter Co. (see frame detail)

Harry A. Smith No. 4 serial 5324    This machine is a relabeled Victor No. 2.  It has its original shipping crate, modified by Smith to remove the Victor name, as well as its original instructions and the remains of its diagram sheet.

Hermes Standard 8

Ideal A serial 13023   "Ideal A2"

Ideal D serial 1062537

Imperial 50  serial V3299

Imperial Good Companion 6

Junior Model 58

L.C. Smith No. 2  serial 106744-2

L.C. Smith No. 5 - no photo yet!

L.C. Smith Secretarial in Walnut Green

Macy's Portable No. 1  serial 39840  (Barr Typewriter Corp.)

Molle No. 3  serial 4473

Monarch No. 2  serial 66988

Monarch No. 3  serial 107517

Monarch portable (identical to Remington 5T)

National No. 5  serial 16169

National No. 5  serial 22036

Oliver No. 3 and Oliver No. 9

Oliver No. 5

Oliver Portable

Olivetti M40

Optima Plana

Optima Elite (left) and Optima Super (right)

Orga Privat 3

Orga Model 10

Pittsburg Visible No. 12  serial 39284

Portex No. 5  serial 19882

Predom 1012 (Manufactured 1986 in Poland)

President (relabeled early Consul portable)

Rex Visible No. 4    serial 48935

R C Allen Woodstock (short lived dual branding, circa 1950-1951)

R C Allen 700 (Visomatic)

Reliance Visible  serial 51695  (Reliance Typewriter Co.)

Reliance Visible  serial 60800  (Reliance Machine Mfg. Co.)

Remington Junior

Remington No. 10

Remington No. 16

Remington Smith Premier 30  serial MM10004 (not yet shown)

Remington Noiseless 6  (factory refurbished by Remington)

Rooy Portable

Royal Standard

Royal No. 5

Royal No. 10 serial X-988995

Royal No. 10 serial SX-1616291 (incorporates segment shift in No. 10 body)

Royal portable / early model

Royal portable / second model (in woodgrain, with "Vogue" typeface)

Royal Signet serial E9775; depression era portable

Royal Diana (formerly "Diana" made in Germany; this version mfd. in Holland) (see below)

Royal Administrator ("small office machine" developed from Royal Diana)

Siemag IIT 

Smith-Corona Super Speed 1A (black, late 30's through late 1949)

Smith-Corona Super Speed 1A (green, late 1949 and beyond)

Smith Corona (SCM) Secretarial 76 - Serial  76E12-7037845 (Highest known serial of any Smith Corona standard typewriter, made 1970)

Smith Corona 4AR series portables:  We discovered and identified the carryover of "Speedline" bodies into the "5 series" decor and began seeking them out.  Here are a few.

Smith Corona Super   serial 5T 118429

Smith Corona 5TE Electric Portable    serial 5TE 137750

Smith Corona / Golden Shield Silent Meteor

Smith Premier No. 1  serial 22577

Smith Premier No. 2  serial 72006

Smith Premier No. 10A  serial 62296

Smith Premier 60  serial XC40352

Stoewer Record  serial 118286 manufactured 1927

Sun Standard No. 2  serial 14962

Torpedo 18 portable

(Brass frame) Underwood No. 5

Underwood No. 5  (rebuilt by commercial factory)

Underwood Four Bank Portable in woodgrain

UNIS TBM deluxe  (mfd. 1986 Sarajevo, Yugoslavia; Cyrillic keyboard)

Victor No. 3  serial 9573

Victor No. 10  serial 52072

Visigraph  serial 12970

Voss Deluxe 

Voss Privat

Woodstock Electrite  serial E12169E

Woodstock No. 4

Woodstock Signature

Many brands, or makes/models of more modern typewriter were for the first time anywhere shown, explored in detail and discussed on our (Davis) websites.  These include but are not limited to the following now well-known marques and manufacturers, all of which include or have included examples in the collection:

ALPINA
ARGYLE
AMC
ANTARES
ATLAS
BROTHER
CHINESE "MODEL 100"
CITIZEN
CLOVER
COLE-STEEL
COMMODORE
CONSUL
DEL-MAR
ELGIN
EURO-PORTABLE FAMILY (PATRIA/OLIVER COURIER)
HALBERG
IMC
K-MEK
MARITSA
MESSA
MONTANA
NAKAJIMA
NIPPO
OMEGA
PRINCESS
ROOY
ROVER
SILVER-SEIKO
UNIS
VOSS

                              --------------- OTHER MACHINES -----------------------

American Combination Register

Smith-Corona Cashier

Monarch Listing Adding Machine (identical to Remington 10-key)

Monroe 811 adding machine (actually manufactured by Olympia)

•INSTRUCTIONAL AND TOY TYPEWRITERS•

Collegiate (sold in US by Western Stamping; mfd. in Japan by Konryu Corporation)

Citizen Columbia XL  (mfd. in Japan by Konryu Corporation)

Tom Thumb Feather Touch  (actually "Petite," made in England, dist. by Western Stamping)

MARX 300

JC PENNEY  (mfd. by Marx Toys)

Signature Junior (sold by Montgomery Ward's; mfd. by Marx Toys)  This typewriter is somewhat unusual among the range manufactured by Marx in that it is a true double shift typewriter.

Marxwriter (Marx toys)

Buddy-L easy-writer 210  (mfd. by Marx toys)

SELECTO    Unusual metal and plastic index toy typewriter by Berwin.  This unique design moves the type carrier, and not the carriage -- just like an IBM Selectric.

TOM THUMB    One of many variations made by Western Stamping, USA