Underwood #3 Standard Typewriter

A few weeks a go I made an unusual find at my local thrift store. I generally do not expect to see anything this obviously spectacular. I am good at spotting the diamonds in the rough or the under the radar treasures. This however, seemed rather a hard to miss gem!

It was sitting on the shelf covered in all matter of dust, grime and maybe a few cobwebs. (where had this been for so many years/decades)? As always, I travel with a supply of wet wipes. A few test swipes later I was convinced it was all there under the dirt.

Not a bad price on the sticker but still more than I am used to paying at the thrift... A little discussion with the manager brought it down to a very comfortable price and off it went to my car.

I have been slowly cleaning, polishing and buffing. All the mechanics seem to work, even the ever so gentle bell at the end of the line... "pardon me, I believe it is time to start a new line"...

It has tab, line depth, black or red type, cap lock and many more functions... The top of the line machine it seems. It is an Underwood N0.3 14 Inch model I believe dating somewhere around 1920-

I am in awe of the beauty of it from a purely aesthetic perspective. The amazingly tooled parts, the chrome fittings, glass keys with lovely typography, stunning graphics ALL OVER the machine... wow.

It is super heavy of course. I think I will have to find a local buyer as shipping fees would be crazy.

For now I am happy to admire it on a daily basis. It really charms me.