Machines of

Loving Grace


Contents:
Apologia

The Machines
Adlers

Olivers
Olivettis
Olympias
Remingtons
Royals
Smith/Corona
Underwoods
Catalog Brands
Others

Master Index

Links
contact

Galleries
Depression portables
3-banks

Evolution of the Sterling
All About the Remie Scout
Typewriters as InspirationEphemera

Other pages on this site:

Collapsing World
Collapsing World: a blog

Stapler Fetish

Conley Cameras
Conley Cameras

A Trip Through Sears, Roebuck & Co.

Greetings from Rochester
a history in postcards

Ocean Liner Postcards
Vintage ocean liner postcards


My non-typewriter photography


Genealogy, with a focus on the Seaver, Bilyeu, Amidon, and Lowell branches


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Hermes

Hermes 2000
SN 2045554
1952

Hermes 2000

This unlabeled 2000 is what I think of as the 2nd generation 2000, the first being a black, glossy machine with the ubiquitous round keys. This second version predominated throughout the late '40s and early '50s. The 3rd generation sported a logo and color scheme very similar to the later 3000 series, and came in a vinyl, zippered case. The 2000 is a superb typer--one of the best of the immediate post-war machines--if not the most attractive.It types with a satisfying "budda-budda-budda" staccato reminiscent of an old rotary machine gun, albeit much quieter.

Download the manual for this typewriter here.

Hermes 3000 (x2)
Serial #s 3058336 & 3171477
1961 & 1963

Hermes radically redesigned their "semi-standard" machine in 1958 with the introduction of the 3000. This curvy machine--dare I even call it "sexy"?--is highly coveted by aesthetists and users alike both for its looks and its precise feel. The most-heard complaint about the 3000 is that the controls are difficult to decipher. This would be changed in the next redesign (see below).

Typists often debate which is better: the 2000, or the 3000? In my mind, both are amazing machines to type on; the "feel" is nearly identical between the two. The most significant difference is that the 2000 is carriage-shifted, while the 3000 is segment-shifted. This makes the 3000 easier to use for long stretches, and probably preferable for the occasional typist. The 2000 has the advantage of being smaller and lighter, with less intricate controls.

Hermes Rocket
Serial # 5818028
1964

The Rocket is a direct descendent of the Hermes Baby, Hermes' original subcompact portable typewriter. Really, very little about it had changed across 30 years. The Baby/Rocket was so popular that Hermes licensed its designs to many other manufacturers. Subsequently, you can find very similar-looking typewriters under a host of names. In the 1960s, Smith-Corona bought out the British Typewriters Ltd factory which had manufactured Rockets under license for Hermes. Smith-Corona used up the standing inventory of parts by relabeling the machine as the Smith-Corona Empire. They weren't many of those made, and they might be of interest to a collector as a transitional artifact.

Original purchase receipt shows that this machine was purchased Sept. 1964 in New Orleans, LA. Other papers found with it indicates that it traveled to Central America and Florida before finally finding its way to Minnesota.

Download the manual for this typewriter here.

Hermes 9
Serial # 8161768
1966

Hermes 9

Hermes 3000
Serial # 3409033
1967

Another redesign in the late '60s produced this "boxy" 2nd generation 3000. Essentially, the only things that changed were the outer shell and clearer labeling of the controls. This version isn't as highly sought as the curvy one, but for someone just looking for a reliable machine to type on, this one is every bit as good.

In the '70s, there was a 3rd generation 3000 which was even boxier and mostly plastic--dare I even call it "ugly"? It was built by a different factory and is not considered as high-quality as the Swiss-made 3000s.


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