Monday, February 11, 2008

Remington Monarch Typewriter - Part 1

Location:
Hidden away in a dark and dank corner in the rear office of an obscure building in Area 51, this typewriter sits on its last legs (or keys) waiting for an old secretary to come along and rescue it from the death grip that time has on it. The UFO Team will let you know if that old secretary ever arrives.

Description:
In a word, heavy. Our best guess (without using any mechanical devices to make a scientific measurement) is around 20 pounds. There is surface rust and various places from the keys to the bits and pieces that make it move. There is no tape present. The brass parts are beginning to show signs of a green patina. It is also interesting to note the lack of the number 1 and the different placement for certain special characters (when compared to a present day keyboard). Several of the keys are coated in dirt while others have a cracked or crazed look to their protective covers.

Unique Marks:
Front - Top - There is a circular label on the left of the carriage return. The circular, white/cream label shows a typewriter with "Trademark" under it in black. Below that, in larger red print is the word "Visible" running around the outer edge of the circle.

Front - Top - Printed in white across the top of the carriage return is "Monarch" with "Remington Typewriter Company" in smaller font below it.

Rear - The serial number plate reads "103802."

History:
Apparently produced between 1910 and 1915, this is a Monarch Number 2. Assuming the serial numbers were sequential, it was likely built in 1913.The Number 3 models are very similar but appear to bear a different print design on the carriage return.

Photos:
Here is the first batch of photos:


























References:
- Davis, Will. Retrieved on February 2, 2008 from http://www.hometown.aol.com/wdssbn641/Monarch.html and http://www.geocities.com/wbd641/Monarch2.html.
- Milton, Richard. Retrieved on February 2, 2008 from http://www.portabletypewriters.com/portable_typewriters_remington.htm.
- Numerous facts were gathered from the private Richard Family Estate collection. These facts span numerous sources of information and contain genealogical data, photos, and newspaper articles.

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