A few weeks ago Angela and I drove around a small town having its citywide garage sales. It was our first time in this particular town so our adrenaline was flowing. At one of the last sales we hit I spied this small typewriter with original case. Luckily we made a second pass around the sale or we would have missed out on this adorable Skyriter Smith-Corona typewriter for $2.00. Even though it was filthy I was bringing it home.
So remember this garage sale tip: Always make a few passes through a sale. If it is a decent sale, there is probably something you passed by and didn’t notice. I will put money on this!
Last night I began cleaning the grime off. I used just a drop of dish soap in a bowl of water. I only lightly dampened my towel and began scrubbing. It didn’t take long for me to start getting excited with it’s outcome!
And finally the finished product!
In my research online I have found that this Smith-Corona Skyriter was produced in 1950. It seems that it may have been designed for easy travel for passengers taking planes. It has a smaller size, shape and case to easily fit under seats during the flight. I noticed right away when I picked it up at the sale how portable it was. I found this information along with great images of Smith-Corona and other brands of antique and vintage typewriters here.
Now the fun is going to start, because I have to start cleaning the inside. I can already tell this is going to be time consuming, but this great little typewriter is worth the work!
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