How Much Is an Antique Typewriter Worth?

Typewriter values have risen over the past decade, reversing a long decline, driven by decorative demand and a small but active community of people who actually type on them. The market splits into three groups. Common desktop machines from Underwood, Royal, Remington, and Smith Corona were produced in the millions between 1900 and 1960 and sell for sixty to two hundred and fifty dollars depending on condition and looks. Mid-century portables in colored cases, particularly Olivetti Lettera and Smith Corona Sterling models, have become genuinely fashionable and bring more than their utilitarian black predecessors. The valuable tier consists of pre-1900 machines with unusual mechanisms, including index typewriters, curved keyboards, and early experimental designs, which can reach thousands. Working condition is the largest single variable in the common tiers, since a machine that types cleanly is a functional object while one that does not is decor.

Age and mechanical novelty drive the top of the market, since pre-1900 machines experimented with radically different designs before the standard keyboard layout won out. Brand and model matter in the mainstream tiers, with Hermes, Olivetti, and certain Royal portables commanding premiums for their typing feel and design. Color is a genuine value factor on mid-century portables, where pastel and unusual colors sell for well above black equivalents. Working condition is the largest single variable, since buyers increasingly want machines they can actually use, and a clean typing action is worth double a seized one. Platen condition matters because hardened rubber platens damage paper and replacement requires specialist recovering. Completeness with the original case, ribbon spools, and any manuals adds value. Cosmetic condition covers paint, decals, and chrome, with original decals particularly prone to wear.