This is a well-preserved 1922 Remington Portable No. 1 typewriter (serial no. NP-20020). This ultra-portable machine was made throughout the '20s and came with collapsible typebars and single-shift key. The Remington Portable has a gear-locking typebar mechanism, a red and black ribbon selector, and the first portable to use a 4-bank standard QWERTY keyboard.

It measures 4 x 11 x 12 inches (10.16 x 27.94 x 30.48 cm) and weighs 10 lbs. 12 ounces. It uses Elite typeface at 10 characters per inch. It comes with its original wooden carrying case, with its leather strap missing. (As a temporary fix, a plastic zip-tie has been custom-fitted in its place.) Otherwise, the case has the usual wear marks, but it's still very solid. The locking mechanism is a two-way lock made of chrome.

SEE this amazing typewriter in action:

This typewriter puts you right in touch with literary history: the great British best-selling author and playwright, Dame Agatha Christie, who wrote memorable characters like Hercule Poirot and "Murder on the Orient Express" novel, often wrote on a Remington Portable. Now, that's what we like to call an iconic typewriter! "All I needed was a steady table and my Remington Portable typewriter...a marble-topped bedroom washstand table made a good place; the dining-room table between meals was also suitable," said Ms. Christie once.

It has the classic decal that reads "To Save Time Is To Lengthen Life" and is in very good condition. The piano-black paint is in very good condition, and it reflects like a mirror once buffed to a polish. There's little to no oxidation, but only in a few places. There's only one or two age-related blemishes and is normal for a machine of this age.

The mechanism to raise the typebars is simple: you pull out the knob on the right side while simultaneously turning it towards the back - away from you - and the typebars are mechanically raised to a locking position. This design allowed the typewriter to be one of the most portable typewriters of its time.

The 1920s portable came with their custom-fitted spools. There are a few keys that have yellow blemishes while lending a bit of character to the machine. Unfortunately, two strike heads have broken off - the '¼ ½' and '@ ¢' typebars. Apart from that, the rest of the keys are in good condition, with no cracking or significant damage.

It has a color selector to change, for example, from black to red, with no 'stencil' option. The carriage release is easily one of the most unique functions on this machine: it does not have the conventional carriage lever, but a finger-and-thumb function to index to a single or double line space. It has a working bell as well.

The typewriter is mounted to a wooden board, which is part of the case. The case is a clip-on which goes over the top and locks on the bottom plate with rubber washers and screws in place. But it's strong enough to carry around.

Overall, considering that this machine is almost a century old it works remarkably well. You will find typing on this Remington Portable very satisfying and pleasant, especially the carriage return function. You will certainly get used to this method of page indexing and carriage return quite easily.

If you're a fan of typewriters from the peak of Art Deco and "Roarin' Twenties" era like we are, then this would be an option worth considering. If you have any questions about this item, please let us know.

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