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| The post card and the image above I think originate in the New York Public Library. They are all over on line so I do not know who to correctly recognize as the originating source. |
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| Mine, missing some chrome. |
Here's the link to the one that has plastic keys. The keys even look like they may be dark green.
I thought I may be able to differentiate between Master and Champion by the pull tab on the type slug access door. Then I found some sites with Underwood Master shown without the pull tab. I'm sure there are variations between model years, and maybe even production runs. I'm wondering whether mine is a Master, as I found M to designate that, or was the space bar changed some time in its life, or is that normal for the Master to have CHAMPION on the space bar. Remember in all the typing contests Underwood won.
That word "Champion" looks like it was engraved later. I suspect it was the prize in a typing contest. pretty sweet find there.
ReplyDeleteI once owned an Underwood 6 with "Champion" engraved in the spacebar exactly like yours.
ReplyDeletehttp://typewriterdatabase.com/1937-underwood-6.3171.typewriter
I would add a clearer picture if I had one, but I sold it years ago.
ReplyDeleteAs for the green-key Underwood you found, those look like they might have been later replacements.
I've seen "Champion" on standard Underwood space bars as well. I'm not sure just what it means. The whole nomenclature of Underwood models is confusing to me.
ReplyDeleteWell its a mystery Bill, hopefully one of your readers will be able to help. Your machine cleaned up beautifully!
ReplyDeleteBill: My Master model is about 100,000 sn older than yours and has champion on the space bar as well, but it is engraved on the side facing the keys and so almost impossible to find. So, as Richard implies, it was some standard nomenclature but what it means is as much a mystery to me. I agree, they are snappy machines.
ReplyDeleteBill, I have Underwood portables with "Champion" on the "inside" of the spacebar - that is, the side facing the keyboard. It has always been my understanding that it relates to Underwood's "Champion keyboard", 84 characters, but I'm not sure quite how. In advertising from the period, it's referred as the "Champion keyboard".
ReplyDeleteIt may have something to do with the Underwood speed typing champions of the day (Hossfield et al), but whether the keyboard actually differs from others I do not know.
ReplyDeleteImagine the fun they had in factories back in the 40s. As a special Friday afternoon treat, the workers swapped assembly lines and mixed up the parts bins and slipped out some random anomalies to confuse us in the 21st Century. I never tried an Underwood standard, despite getting close to buying a couple. One day...
ReplyDeleteThe keytops issue isn't quite so simple. Earlier in the manufacture of typewriters, Underwood and Royal often offered different keytop options. The keytops are also removable - yes, even those ones.
ReplyDeleteYou could order enamel keys and black on white, or white on black. It could very well have been orderd this way, using a set built for another machine. Hence the 'Champion' identifier on the space.
I like Robs thought! My May/June of 1940 "Master" also has the Champion on the back slope of the space bar. It also has black plastic keytops with white lettering. What a beautiful Streamlined design, made "immortal" by the New York Worlds Fair - it doesn't get any better than that!!
ReplyDeleteToo bad yours is missing some of it's chrome "speed lines"
Hi Bill, we don't do the equinox thing here, it's more of a four month seasonal period, so we officially began our autumn on 1st of March.
ReplyDeleteHappy Easter to you also Bill, my love for chocolate involves ALL chocolate I'm afraid :)
ReplyDelete