5 de julio de 2009

Continental typewriter, X-large


Continental typewriter, originally uploaded by shordzi.

If you have more information on this exact model, please contact me (see "contact" on top of this blog).
FactsheetContinental Standard
ManufacturerWanderer Werke AG,formely Winklhofer&Jaenicke, Sigmar-Schönau, Germany.
ModelContinental Standard (wide carriage)
Serial number440166 (produced in 1930)
Special featuresSwiss-German keyboard; long carriage (ca.16 inches)
Originally sold by"J.F. Pfeiffer, Basel"


This machine comes from a private sale near Basel in July 2009, independent from our recent other Continental Standard typewriter, which we bought in a second hand shop. However, both typewriters were originally sold in the same shop, "J.F. Pfeiffer, Basel", and also stem from the same period, as can be deducted from the closeness of the serial numbers.

This typewriter cost 50 CHF and came in ok, but not neat condition. A bit of dusting and oiling, as usually, did the job, it now writes very neatly, and I can assure you it's good finger training to type on it!
Continental typewriter writing sample

The serial number is 440166, which, according to the Typewriter Serial Number Database would fall in the production year 1930.


last update: 8.3.2010

30 de junio de 2009

Hermes 3000 typewriter


Hermes_3000_6, originally uploaded by shordzi.
Yet another portable typewriter, this time from Switzerland!

Fact sheet:
Model: Hermes 3000
Manufacturer: Paillard S.A., Yverdon, Switzerland
Serial number: 3109005 (year of production 1963)

The Hermes 3000's design changed several times over the years, starting with the classy rounder shape at first production in 1958 (various sources on the internet). Our machine is from this period. In the late 1960s, a new design was introduced (source: mrmartinweb.com), with at least two slight variations yet again in the 1970s and 1980s (see mrtypwriter.tripod.com for details & pictures). Read more on Hermes typewriters on Will Davis' site.

Hermes_3000_writingsample2
more photos here


last update: 8.3.2010

29 de junio de 2009

Continental typewriter


Continental typewriter, originally uploaded by shordzi.
The new member of my collection - Continental Standard, welcome!

Factsheet:
Model: Continental Standard
Manufacturer: Wanderer-Werke, formerly Winklhofer&Jaenicke, Sigmar-Schönau, Germany.
Special features: Swiss-German keyboard
Serial number: 438669 (manufactured in 1930)
Weight: heavy!

We bought this nice typewriter for 65 Swiss Franks at Heilsarmee Brockenstube (a second hand shop) in Basel, Switzerland. A little plate reading "J.F.Pfeiffer, Basel", and which is attached to the front display, indicates that the typewriter was also originally sold in Basel. From the serial number 438669 we can deduct it was manufactured in 1930 (cf. the Typewriter Serial Number Database). The keyboard layout is Swiss, which means it features all Umlaut needed for German, but also the complete French accents.

The Continental came not in neat, but in ok condition. You could see it had been stored in some forgotten dusty place for decades. The carriage and some keys wouldn't move properly at first trial. A bit of dust cleaning and oil on carriage and the type mechanism, however, did the trick and restored the basic functions, i.e., we could type our first letter within a day.

The first Continental typewriter was built in 1904. Its design remained very much unchanged over the years of production (2, at p.53). The Wanderer Continental was probably the most sold German typewriter of its time (2, at p.53).



Literature:
(1) Leonhard Dingwerth, Die Geschichte der Deutschen Schreibmaschinenfabriken- Band 1: große und mittlere Hersteller, BoD – Books on Demand, 2008 (ISBN 3921913381, 9783921913383).
(2) Leonhard Dingwerth, Historische Schreibmaschinen: Geschichte, Technik und Faszination. Sammlerträume, Verlage Battenberg und Gietl, 2008 (ISBN 3866460414, 9783866460416).

last update: 8.3.2010

14 de abril de 2009

Sommeregger Stammbaum

Woher kommt der Name Sommeregger? Für das Projekt eines Meta-Stammbaums, siehe http://sommeregger.at/sommeregger/index.html.

Zur Darstellung der geographischen Verteilung des Familiennamen Sommeregger, siehe das GEOGEN Programm auf:
http://christoph.stoepel.net/geogen/en/Default.aspx .

Es gibt mehrere Sommeregger Stammbäume auf RODOVID.ORG, z.B. diesen hier.