presents
presents
This is a long document, organized in chronological order. To go directly to the information about a particular topic or model, wait until the page finishes loading, and then click on an item in the following list.
© 2010 Richard Polt (polt@xavier.edu).
You may quote this page, including in eBay listings, if you credit me and provide a link to this page.
Model names
What follows is an attempt to systematize what I know about portable typewriters made by Remington before World War II. This is research in progress: I invite everyone to e-mail me with further information about any of these typewriters, especially the less common ones, and I'll add it to this page. I would also love to get pictures of models I haven't pictured here, or of beautifully colored specimens.
Some Remington portables do not carry the Remington name. In the early 1900s, Remington gained control of the Smith Premier typewriter company and also introduced the Monarch frontstroke typewriter. These names were perpetuated through the 1930s, so that there are "Smith Premier" and "Monarch" versions of many Remington models. The Monarchs are labeled as made by the American Writing Machine Co. Other Remington models were labeled for sale by department stores such as Sears Roebuck (the Porto-Rite), Butler Brothers, or Macy's (the Macy's machines usually have a red star on a corner and the Macy's name on a decal in the back). Finally, Remington manufactured noiseless portables for Underwood.
Many models had versions that were manufactured or assembled abroad. In the listings for American models below, I mention known foreign name variants, and discuss the foreign versions in a separate section on foreign variants at the bottom of this page.
Apart from personal observations, my main sources for the information below are serial number data compiled by the Remington patent division in the 1950s; Thomas Russo's Mechanical Typewriters; Paul Lippman's American Typewriters; "Touch Method Instructor for Remington Typewriters," a pamphlet put out by Remington in the mid-thirties; and a "Remington Touch Method Typing Instruction Book" of 1940. These sources sometimes conflict with each other. I've taken the serial number data as most authoritative, but I know from comparing them to my own typewriters that they are not foolproof. Take everything below with a grain of salt!
The typewriters are listed in the chronological order of their introduction (which is not always the same as the order of the model numbers!). Portions of the name given in brackets do not appear on the typewriter itself. The starting and ending dates of the production are listed, along with serial number data and production numbers. In May 1942, all production of Remington typewriters ceased for the duration of the war, as factories were converted to military purposes.
I am too busy to look up serial numbers, so I cannot give you an exact date for your typewriter based on the serial number. However, for each model on this page I provide the serial number range and the dates of manufacture, which will give you a general idea.
You can use the serial number to determine the precise month of manufacture only if you have a semi-portable Remington Junior (1914-1921), #1 portable, #2 portable, or a Rem-Blick. These models, like all Remington typewriters made from August 1914 through August 1928, use a 2-letter, 5-numeral code. The first letter represents the model of the typewriter (J for the Junior, N for the #1 and #2, or K for the Rem-Blick). The second letter represents the month of manufacture, according to the following code:
P = January
M = February
L = March
K = April
X = May
S = June
V = July
E = August
D = September
C= October
Z= November
A = December
The first numeral is the last numeral of the year in which the typewriter was made (for example, "3" means 1923). The remaining four numerals probably indicate the typewriter's sequence in the machines manufactured that month. For example: KX80608 is the six hundred and eighth Rem-Blick made in the month of May, 1928.
Not a true portable but a "luggable" typewriter, this simplified writing machine had three banks of keys and shift keys only on the left. "It is smaller, it is lighter, it is designed for the simpler uses," says a 1915 ad. It was manufactured in the Smith Premier factory in Syracuse, N.Y. It is similar to the Century 10 typewriter, marketed around 1919-1921 by the American Writing Machine Company, which was controlled by Remington. Not to be confused with the later Remington Junior portable.
These little machines were marketed aggressively and were
a great success. They were the first truly portable typewriters
with four-bank keyboards, and in this category they had no
competition until Royal and Underwood introduced four-bank portables in
1926. The "folding-typebar" mechanism raises the typebars
to a 45-degree angle, the printing position, by means of a lever
on the right side of the typewriter. The typebars must be lowered
again when the typewriter is returned to its case.
The carrying case is sometimes wood or metal covered in leather or
imitation leather; usually (as on all subsequent Remington portables),
it is wood covered in black cloth.
In 1924 the price of the Remington Portable was $60.
It was sold in France as the "Smith Premier Portative."
According to vol. I, no. 1 (August 2, 1926) of The Remport, a newsletter for sellers of Remington portables, "The Remington Portable was first exhibited at the New York Business Show in October, 1920. Its manufacture began shortly thereafter but for many months only a limited number of machines were available for delivery. ... the first dealership contracts of record were entered during September, 1921." (Thanks to Ed Neuert for providing this publication.) For almost a year, then, production was limited and experimental. This is why you should keep your eyes open for a very early #1, such as the one pictured above on the left. It appears at first glance to be just like the later #1 (on the right), but notice that it has no right shift key. In fact, the early #1 has many features which the company soon changed. The new features were phased in beginning around spring 1921, and then became standard on all Remington portables. Today it is quite difficult to find a specimen that has all the early features. What follows is my best guess about the order in which the early features were changed.
An unusual color variant of the #1 is black on top and gold on the sides. Before colored enamel paints were available, this was as radical a departure from basic black as you could get. Decals may or may not be present. (Pictured: #NM11229, made Feb. 1921.)
Another machine to look out for is the Remington Portable #1 DeLuxe. It has an ivory-tone finish and comes in a brown leather case. Available in very limited numbers around 1924, it sold for $75. (Pictured: NZ30670, made Nov. 1923, courtesy of Jim Dax.)
Serial numbers: 2-letter,
5-numeral code beginning with N (Feb. 1925-August 1928);
V100000-V131518 (September-December 1928) (and more: see below)
Number made: 300,000?
No. 2 portables were produced both in basic black and in a number of appealing color combinations; the copywriters had a field day inventing names for them (thanks to Steve Maloney for the ad). British name variant: Smith Premier. French name variant: Contin. (Contin was a French typewriter manufacturer that apparently purchased some Remingtons to sell under the Contin name.)
This typewriter was a clone of the Blickensderfer #5, which came on the market around 1895. Remington bought the Blickensderfer tools and dies from the Roberts Typewriter Company in 1926. (Roberts had bought Blick out in 1919 but only made the Blick 90, a typebar machine designed by Lyman Roberts and licensed to Blickensderfer for manufacture.) Most Rem-Blicks had a QWERTY keyboard, but a few specimens resurrected Blickensderfer's favored "Scientific" keyboard (with DHIATENSOR on the bottom row). A less-common name variant, apparently used in Britain, is Baby Rem. An even rarer name variant is S.P.-Blick (S.P. for "Smith Premier"). The Rem-Blick was advertised by Sears in 1929 under its own name, for $22.50, and in 1930 under the name "The Blick," for $19.75. The earliest specimen known to me dates from February 1928, but Remington records state that the machine was first manufactured in December 1927. The latest known specimen dates from September 1928. June 1928 was apparently the peak of production; it is the only month in which I know that over 1000 machines were made.
When the company figured out that its portables could type without raising the typebars to a 45-degree angle, the #3 was introduced. This is much like the #2 except that there is no rising panel or side lever. The typebars rest at an angle of only 15 degrees or so, and are surrounded by a metal lip marked "Remington" (or, rarely, "Remington 3"). This typewriter introduced the paragraph key -- a key that automatically advances the carriage five spaces (labeled "Self Starter" on some models and specimens). The machine comes in various attractive colors and color combinations, such as this blue/turquoise specimen. Its original price was $60. British name variants: Remington Home Portable, Smith Premier Home Portable, Smith Premier Chum Portable. I have had a report of one #3 which types in capitals only (V341853, November 1930). The December, 1933 American Boy-Youth Companion advertises a "Remington Special Portable" for $19.95 that also looks like a caps-only #3. See the information above about the #2 for details on some #2 portables that have serial numbers within the supposed #3 range.
The Compact Portable is essentially a #2. The serial numbers of these machines begin with a C. The typewriter often has a nickeled strip running above the keyboard, and the panel that raises the typebars is textured. Many of these typewriters were sold through department stores such as Sears. They may or may not be marked "Compact." Name variant: Monarch. British name variant: Smith Premier Compact Portable (may not have nickeled strip).
This was one of the most successful models, commercially and aesthetically. Its distinctive design feature is the rounded panel above the keyboard, accented with a horizontal ridge that makes a tasteful V at its very front. N13500-N127879 are the serial numbers in Remington's official records, but the earliest machine reported to me is N10136; it seems plausible that serials started at N10000. Earlier specimens are marked "Remington Noiseless Portable" below the spacebar, whereas later ones are marked this way on the paper table and say "Remington" below the spacebar. Earlier ones also have black plastic keys, like the model 7, whereas later ones have glass-topped keys. Late RNPs may have full-sized carriage return levers and touch regulators to the right of the keyboard. Usually the RNP is black, but with a good deal of luck it can be found in two-tone green, maroon, or two-tone blue. These fancy colored machines may come in deluxe, leather-covered cases with compartments for stationery and supplies. One sometimes sees RNPs on which the back spacer and margin release keys protrude through the plate behind the keyboard; this allows for two more character keys to be added to the keyboard. Such machines, in my experience, turn up in Europe. Probably Remington made them for export, so that they could handle accents and other characters for European languages. The original price of the RNP was $92.50, but during the first few months of production the price went down to $69.50. In 1935 it cost $67.50. Name variants: Monarch, Smith Premier Noiseless. Thanks to Charles Gu and mytypewriter.com for the pictures.
The Model Seven, the big brother of the Noiseless Portable, has a full-sized paper table, a tabulator, black plastic keytops, and a carriage return lever that is long and horizontal rather than short and vertical. My first typewriter was one of these, and I still enjoy using it. Its original price was $105, reduced to $72 by 1935. Triple line spacing was introduced with H25728 (July 1933). Some specimens have bigger feet that later ones, so they stand about 1 cm taller. Earlier machines differ from later ones in some small ways: for instance, the earlier machines have smaller, more rounded spacebars, and a simpler scale/cardholder in front of the platen. There are at least two decal schemes: the one shown above, with "Remington 7 Noiseless" on the paper table, and another scheme with "Remington Noiseless" on the paper table and "Model Seven" on the front of the machine. A rare color variant is two-tone green. (I once saw a #7 covered in alligator skin! Probably an aftermarket refinement. It was found in Las Vegas -- of course.) Name variants: Monarch, Monarch 71, Smith Premier 71. The Seven was revived after the war (1945-49), with wrinkle paint and other small stylistic changes; the postwar serial numbers, H64000-H193575, are not included in the total made as listed above.
This is like the #3, but has a true tabulator instead of a paragraph (five-space) key. It cost $65, $5 more than the #3. Pictured: V502012, courtesy of Chris and Gary Josey.
These Remingtons were marketed by Sears Roebuck; their serial numbers begin with "SR." Most Porto-Rites are identical to the #2, but some are identical to the #3. They come both in black and in colors. Normally they are marked "Porto-Rite," but I know of one specimen marked "Remington," looking exactly like a two-tone green #2, despite its "SR" serial number. (The catalogue of the Dietz typewriter collection at the Milwaukee Public Museum shows a Porto-Rite that may not be a Remington product at all. Sears may have sold several different makes under the name.)
Although they're called Underwoods, these machines are identical twins of the Remington Noiseless Model Seven and Remington Noiseless Portable, respectively. A former Underwood employee has reported that they were made in the Remington factory by arrangement with Underwood. Serial number records are confusing and incomplete. I won't bore you with the details; the numbers above are the best sense I can make of the available records, but they seem surprisingly high to me (these machines are common, but not that common). Some Underwood Noiseless 77 machines were outfitted with at least two variants of the Dvorak keyboard in 1933, presumably as part of Dr. August Dvorak's efficiency experiments. Rare color variants of the 77 are maroon and two-tone green. The 77 was revived in 1946-48 (serials 1502099-163900); these machines are not included in my production totals above. Later 77's are finished in wrinkle paint.
This model was sold by the Butler Bros. department store, much as the Porto-Rite was sold by Sears. It is nearly identical to the #2 portable (or possibly the #1) except for its "BB" serial number. Collector Jim Dax reports that BB2084 is just like a two-tone green #2. Phil Garr's BB2203 looks like a black #2 with a tab key (see picture above), as does BB2301. These serial numbers are not included in the range given by Remington (BB3500-BB4103). It it is a plausible guess that serial numbers would begin with BB1000. A Butler Brothers catalogue advertisement kindly provided for me by Thomas A. Russo pictures a Remington that looks like a #1 and says that it is available in black, blue, red, red and white, and green and white; a druggists' model is also available, with characters used in writing prescriptions.
It's a confusing task to sort out the varieties of this portable with the cute and perky name. In essence it is much like the portable #2, but it lacks some major conveniences of the #2, such as adjustable margins. It comes in four versions:
The model 5T has a true tabulator instead of the five-space or paragraph key found on its near-twin, the model 5. It cost no more than the regular model 5: $65. Name variant: Monarch. (The specimen pictured above was made in Canada.)
This typewriter is similar to the #3, but looks more solid and has a broader, boxier shape. Remington literature describes the 5 as "the world's best seller," and it was certainly an enduring member of the Remington line. Its original price was $65. Name variants: Remington Monarch, Monarch 5, Smith Premier Portable Model 35. Sold in France as the "Rem 35." This typewriter is occasionally found with a rounded paper table marked "Remington 5," as on the streamlined #5. In another unusual variant, the top plate of the body (between the keyboard and the keys) is painted blue. V10030-V10151 were made "without side guides and paragraph key, to retail the same as the regular Model 5, but sold to Dealers at $1.25 less." Of these 122 machines, two were made in August 1935, 119 in September, and one in October. A strange little experiment.
This curious typewriter is virtually identical to the noiseless #7, mechanically. The design looks like a #7 with angular, faceted surfaces. The #8 is much beefier than the #7 and has an extra-wide carriage, accepting paper 11.25" wide. Remington called it the "desk model," and said it was for "the typewriter user for whom a portable is too small and a large machine too expensive." But it is still light enough to be carried, and comes in a case with handle. For this reason, and because it is essentially a portable mechanism in an office-sized body, I include it on this page. Its price was originally $105, reduced to $79.50 by 1935. Triple line spacing was introduced with E17631 (Feb. 1933). A touch regulator was introduced with E37745 (Apr. 1938). Name variants: Monarch Noiseless 8, Smith Premier No. 8, Smith Premier Noiseless 81. For more information about this machine, follow this link.
This machine (not to be confused with the Remington Junior of 1914) is almost identical to the #3. In fact, some Juniors simply read "Remington," and look almost exactly like the #3. However, the Junior is a simpler machine. Remington advertising literature tells us: "Stripped of some of the conveniences of higher priced models, it retains all that are essential to first-class typing. Especially suitable for the use of children and students, for social correspondence and home work." The "conveniences" that the Junior lacks but the #3 has include a two-color ribbon and a right-hand carriage release lever. Its price was $37.50 in some ads, $39.50 in others. In January 1938, the "SD" version of the Junior, with a backspacer, was introduced. Some Juniors are found with larger, rounded paper tables reading "Remington" in Art Deco lettering. Ernst Martin claims that a version of the Junior wrote in capital letters only, but I have not seen any evidence for this. Name variant: Smith Premier Junior (pictured: S161376, with lowercase letters on the keys, courtesy of Flip Woltering).
This is much like the #7 and #8 noiseless machines, but its shape is somewhere in between the curviness of the #7 and the angularity of the #8. Remington documents call it the "noisy noiseless." Even though it looks very much like a noiseless machine, it doesn't have the small weights that press the noiseless typebars against the platen, and the typebars are allowed to hit the platen with enough force that they make a clackety-clack. This may actually have been an advantage in the market, as some consumers were disturbed by the quietness of the noiseless machines, and would pound the keys harder and harder, trying to get the familiar pecking noise! (A 1937 Remington pamphlet describes this typewriter as "an all new writing machine featuring the Remington Speed Mechanism" -- but never explains what this mechanism is! Possibly it is simply the standard noiseless mechanism, which makes jamming unlikely and thus allows one to type fast.) With tabulator, this typewriter originally sold for $65; without, for $60 (in some ads) or $62.50 (in others). Specimens from 1938-1942 may include a touch regulator. Name variants: Monarch, Smith Premier Model 11. The Remington Rand Model 1 is referred to as the "Speed Portable" in Remington literature, but I have not seen machines with this name on them. The specimen above that is marked with a star is labeled "R.H. Macy & Co." on the back, and was sold at Macy's. Ron Babb has found an early Remington Rand Model 1 with a Dvorak keyboard.
Described in Remington literature as "twin to the Model 8 but not noiseless -- a general 'all-purpose' typewriter." In other words, this is mechanically like the "noisy noiseless" Remington Rand #1, but it has the large size and angular design of the Noiseless 8. The "Remington" on its paper table is a decal, rather than embossed as on the #8. It sold for $92 originally, reduced to $72 by 1935. A touch regulator was introduced on F16713 (May 1938). A Swedish collector tells me he owns number F17489, which is 651 machines higher than recorded by Remington and would bring production to at least 7,490 machines. Nevertheless, this remains a difficult machine to find.
This model is similar to the Remington Noiseless Portable, but has its own distinctive styling: a smooth arc crossing the entire front of the typewriter, with no decorations. It has no backspacer, tabulator, left platen knob, or ribbon color selector. Its price was $57.50 -- significantly below the $69.50 of the Remington Noiseless Portable. Just a few were made before the model was mysteriously aborted. Remington records say: "Stock shipped to field Sept. 1933 ahead of time. Prices released 12/2/33. Nov. 15, 1935 instructed all offices to ship remaining machines to Who. Port. [Wholesale Portable?] Dept., N.Y.C. thus clearing field of all machines." Some Noiseless Juniors were labeled "Underwood," although these machines do not appear in the official Remington records. The three specimens known to me have serial numbers 622556, 622656, and 622802. Finally, one mystery machine has been found with a Noiseless #7 mechanism and serial number, but a Noiseless Junior shell.
A strange and lovely little beast with 45-degree typebars, a three-and-a-half-row keyboard, and minimal parts (no backspace key, no shift lock, no margin release key, no tabulator or paragraph key, no two-color ribbon). Its cost was $31.25. Even within this small number of machines, there are variations. Earlier ones come with a paperboard lid, black with silver stripes on the top and sides, marked "Remington" in red across the front (see picture, courtesy of John Schag); there is no latch on the base, which is cloth-covered wood. Later ones (such as the machine pictured on the left) come in a standard case (all cloth-covered wood) with latch. For more information, visit this page.
This typewriter is mechanically the same as the boxy Model 5, but its body looks quite different: it is an example of the streamlined industrial design of the later Art Deco, or Art Moderne, period. In general, typewriter manufacturers didn't go very far in this trend that was taking other office and kitchen appliances by storm. But the #5 is a tasteful, striking example of typewriter streamlining. The shape was probably created by noted designer Oscar Bruno Bach (to judge from references in a 1940 Time magazine on Bach and his 1957 New York Times obituary, provided to me by Ed Neuert). A company pamphlet says, "The modern attractive lines of this new Remington brings [sic] 20th Century style and grace to the world's most famous portable typewriter ... make it a desirable addition to any home surrounding. Note the big, massive sturdiness of this new Remington Self-starter portable, its graceful lines and glistening finish." The scale is red on most specimens, but black on some. An unusual variation has tan or black paint and a color-coded keyboard for teaching touch typing; another unusual paint treatment is dark and light maroon. It sold for $49.50 when introduced. Early specimens have the traditional "Remington" decal instead of the Deco lettering shown here. This machine is essentially the same as the later version with a touch regulator and the still later Remington Standard Model 5 and Deluxe Model 5. The Streamliner of 1941 is also quite similar to the streamlined #5. Name variants: Monarch 5, Smith Premier Portable Model 35. British name variant: Remington Victor S Portable.
This is like the streamlined #5 but includes a tabulator and a couple of other refinements, such as both upper and lower ruled tab bars on the rear of the machine. It is marked "Remington Portable Model 5T." Essentially, this machine is the 5T in a streamlined style (this may explain the designation "5T-SS"). The specimen on the left has a German keyboard (courtesy of Phil Garr). On the right is a European name variant, the Smith Premier Portable Model 35T (serial number V800428, courtesy of Flip Woltering.) The Remington Victor T portable (see foreign variants is the same machine with a different serial number range. Remington records include this statement on the T-SS serial number page: "'BT' prefix means foreign model sold to some extent in domestic field December, 1940."
The Pioneer name was apparently reserved for embarrassingly basic typewriters. The first type has a sheet-metal body painted in wrinkle paint, and a three-and-a-half-row keyboard that it shares with the Remington 3B, with shift key only on the left. These machines lack even a carriage return lever -- you have to turn the platen knob and pull the platen by the knob. Their price was $19.95, $21.45 with case.
This rare model is a bulbous office-sized machine that uses the noiseless portable mechanism. Remington records say it was "also referred to as Model 5 1/2."
This Pioneer has no shift key and types only in sans-serif capital letters. It is referred to as the "4A" model in Remington records. Its price was $15.95. Like the Bantam and the Cadet, it was sold by the General Shaver Corporation, a division of Remington Rand. (Remington records call the Bantam the "model 4," this version of the Pioneer the "4A," and the Cadet the "4B." They all had the same sheet-metal body.)
Note on serial numbers for the Bantam, Cadet and Pioneer 4A: according to Remington records, these three machines were "in same series" but each had a "different letter prefix." This creates some uncertainty about the number produced. The serial number data are as follows:
This typewriter is essentially a Remington Rand Model 1 without a tabulator. It has the shape of the Remington Rand Model 1, but is finished in wrinkle paint instead of black enamel. It cost $57.50.
Confusingly enough, this "Remington 1" is not at all the same as the true first Remington portable; and it is subtly different from the Remington Rand Model 1. While the Remington Rand Model 1 has a slightly faceted front, the Remington Model 1 has a smoothly curved front. It includes a touch regulator. Its keys may be either solid black plastic or black with metal rings. Because the serial numbers are shared with the Premier, it is impossible to determine how many of each model were made.
This homely writing machine uses the same geared typebar mechanism as the portable #3 and #5. Its body is sheet metal painted with gray or black wrinkle paint. It originally cost $29.75, and Remington records say it was introduced "to meet Corona Zephyr," another cheap machine. Some more cryptic comments from the Remington records: "Serial with CQ means quintuple keyboard; CR210125 first machine with ratchet release lever." European name variant: Smith Premier Primette. Two special versions of the Remette were made for the 1939 World's Fair: (1) "World's Fair blue" paint with an orange stripe and the fair's logo in a corner; (2) black paint, no stripe, with the logo.
This variant of the streamlined Model 5 includes a touch regulator on a semicircular dial directly above the keyboard which varies the force with which the typebars strike the platen. Its price was $54.50. It is normally finished in wrinkle paint, but the unusual specimen at right is marked "U.S. Navy" and painted in glossy light gray paint. (Paul Thekan writes, "These typewriters were used for copying Morse code from radio as well as voice traffic. The type is upper case only, no lower case, and the 'zero' key has a slash through the zero to denote it is a zero and not the letter O." The Army also used such typewriters.) This machine is closely related to the Remington Standard Model 5 and Deluxe Model 5. British name variant: Smith Premier 5.
These ordinary-looking machines are difficult to find; I suspect they were all exported, as was typical for typewriters labeled "Smith Premier." Remington records note: "New style Junior starts VJ285,332" (December 1941). Above are examples of the old style Junior, which looks much like the boxy #5 but lacks a left platen knob, ribbon color selector, and other details(VJ283348, from Brazil, courtesy of Huberto Closs) and the new style Junior, which looks very similar to the Remette and Deluxe Remette, although it has an adjustable paper guide (VJ285638, with British keyboard, courtesy of Angela Prats). I do not yet know how the Junior differs from the Senior.
The main features that set the DeLuxe Remette apart from the Remette are platen knobs on both left and right, a larger carriage return lever, and a larger paper table. Its price was $39.50.
This model still has the bulbous shape of the original streamlined model 5, but is painted in wrinkle paint and has a full-sized, horizontal carriage return lever rather than a small, upright one. It retailed for $33.50. Remington literature refers to it as the 1941 model, but almost all were made in 1940. Photo courtesy of Phil Garr.
This fancier version of the Remington Standard Model 5 includes a touch regulator, so it is much like the model 5 with touch regulator introduced in 1938. A tabulator was added in May 1942. This typewriter may be marked only "Remington," or "Remington DeLuxe," or "De Luxe." Its price was $54.50. A correspondent has a prewar DeLuxe Model 5 with serial number B1112460, before the official starting point in the official Remington records (see above).
This model is almost identical to the earlier DeLuxe Noiseless; one difference is the one-piece carriage return lever, as opposed to a folding tip on the older carriage return lever. It retailed for $69.50. It is sometimes labeled "DeLuxe Noiseless" on the front frame, sometimes labeled "Remington Noiseless Portable" on the paper table, with no apparent difference in the mechanism. Name variant: Monarch Noiseless Portable. There is a surprising jump between April and May 1942 from N1188863 to N1211664. Were 22,801 machines really produced in one month? Up until then, only about 4000 typewriters per month were being produced. There seems to be some error here; possibly 20,000 serial numbers were skipped for some reason, which would yield a total production of 78,506. Pictures courtesy of Cuyler Brooks.
Very similar to the early specimens of the streamlined #5, except that the scale is black rather than red, and the carriage return lever is full-sized and horizontal. Its price was $49.50. The name, of course, draws attention to the Deco styling. The word "STREAMLINER" leans forward, and even has horizontal speed lines flowing across it on some versions of the decal. One aerodynamic typewriter! (The name "Streamliner" was also used on postwar machines which weren't nearly as streamlined.)
Many American Remington models had counterparts that were made or assembled in other countries, with separate serial numbering systems:
See also the information above on the Smith Premier Portable Junior and Senior.
