A Guide to Smith Corona Typewriters
In 2002 or so I bought a vintage typewriter, a Smith Corona Silent (like this) from the 1940's. [I've sense unloaded it in my ruthless quest to minimize my life].
In actual fact, I bought four or five typewriters to start with. I bought a Royal Arrow, another Royal, an Olympia SM9, and the aforementioned Silent.
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The one I delighted in the most was the Silent, so I went on to write thousands of pages on it without a hitch at all. Also it was the only one that almost nearly worked. It was virtually unused, and needed only a little work.
So I have a certain bias for these models.
The Silent / Sterling 4S comes with a matte crinkle.
There is also a black gloss version and a rarer maroon gloss version, which is priced higher due to rarity.
(Also, note that when I say 'rarity', it is because it is hard to find one in decent condition).
So I have a soft space in my heart for Smith Corona. I grew up hearing that Warren Zevon song:
"Well, I pawned my Smith Corona · And I went to meet my man · He hangs out down on Alvarado Street By the Pioneer Chicken stand."
Don't pawn it!
The progression of Smith Coronas portables is an interesting one.
[By the way, I confess I'm not a history buff so much as obsessed with writing on typewriters. Some people will be like: in 1912, they changed the style of washer and threw in a longer pinion spring, so I need a 1913 or above].
Corona Three.
Corona Three Folding Typewriter
We can move down the line, from the Corona Three, which was a folding typewriter. It was essentially made under different names from 1909 to 1941 ( a staggeringly long run!, if you think about it, especially in the context of today's throwaway culture).
Standard Folding Typewriter Co. (1909 - 1914)
Corona Typewriter Co., Inc. (1914 - 1925)
L.C. Smith & Corona ( 1925 - 1941)
Groton, New York US
Agatha Christie used one of these while traveling. Lawrence Durrell, famed author of the Alexandria Quartet and friend of Henry Miller, used on in the show The Durrels in Corfu.
Older machines will have a certain typeface quality that is not quite as 'aligned'. It's beautifully hand-rendered and appealing for those of us burned out on digital perfection.
Rating.
Poetry. 10 out of 10.
Portability. 9 out of 10.
Speed. 6 out of 10.
Long manuscripts. 4 out of 10.
Letters and lists. 8 out of 10.
Decor. 10 out of 10.
Maintenance. 5 out of 10.
In other words, I wouldn't suffer writing a long novel with one, though it obviously has been done. Though for eye candy, novelty, beauty, brilliance: few beat it.
Available here.
Corona Four.
Then we move to the Corona Four (though there is some overlap on the years).
This is one of the first 'modern' typewriters. Here you have all of the features that make typewriters distinctive. A shell is starting to form over the chassis (though not fully there yet). You get the recognizable shape. These can be quite quick.
Still a carriage shift.
Available here.
Rating.
Poetry. 10 out of 10.
Portability. 9 out of 10.
Speed. 8 out of 10.
Long manuscripts. 5 out of 10.
Letters and lists. 8 out of 10.
Decor. 10 out of 10.
Maintenance. 6 out of 10.
Corona Flat Top.
Corona Special / Flat Top
Then we get to the stunning, staggering flat top, with the gloss lacquer.
These come on maroon and black, and I've seen a few greens and a rare unfinished one as well.
Here we switch to what Smith Corona called the floating shift, which lifts the letters (segment) instead of the platen (roller) so it is a much quicker, easier motion.
There's something a little weird about typing on one of these. It'll sort of boing around while typing each letter.
Easy to get over if you're into the look. I sell these here.
Rating.
Poetry. 10 out of 10.
Portability. 6 out of 10.
Speed. 8 out of 10.
Long manuscripts. 7 out of 10.
Letters and lists. 9 out of 10.
Decor. 10 out of 10.
Maintenance. 8 out of 10.
Smith Corona Silent / Sterling.
These are the machines I started with. The serial number starts with 4S so you'll see them referred to as that.
You'll also see them as 4C, which has a different shaped carriage return lever.
These are a beautiful mix of historical bliss and usability.
I had an Olympia SM9 and one of these sitting side by side, and I chose this every time.
That being said, these feel 'looser' than the German and Swiss Engineered machines. To me, that makes them fast, and I didn't notice until I tried all of the other ones. That 'looseness' annoys some people if they prefer the 'tighter' feel of the other ones. I think the keys are more fluid and move around a little more, side to side. This means you can get in an organic rhythm if this 'movement' doesn't distract you.
Those 'glass style' keys are some sort of celluloid, and it sure looks pretty rimmed in nickel.
The bottom of these machines remains open, meaning if yuo flip it upside down yuo can see all the parts. This freaks some people out. Also, if you set the machine on something soft, that soft thing will hit the mechanics and the machine won't work. That's why the bottom of the case is designed to come off, so you can type with it clipped into the bottom.
Type alignment and advancement slightly improved. These come in a variety of typefaces, though mostly PICA and ELITE.
I sell these here.
There is also a gloss version, a black one here and a maroon one here.
The maroon is one of history’s prettiest.
Rating.
Poetry. 10 out of 10.
Portability. 7 out of 10.
Speed. 10 out of 10.
Long manuscripts. 8 out of 10.
Letters and lists. 10 out of 10.
Decor. 10 out of 10.
Maintenance. 9 out of 10.
Silent Super
Oh harbinger of divine bliss. I love these as well. ( I sell them here).
They're more modern, taking on some of the art-deco appeal which to some could appear dated.
Some of the colors include the infamous Pink, Sand, Seafoam and Alpine Blue. Here.
Of coures, the keys are now plastic, and now you have tab set and clear keys (instead of having to move physical keys at the rear of the machine.
The case is also much improved, with what they call the Holiday case.
Poetry. 10 out of 10.
Portability. 9 out of 10.
Speed. 10 out of 10.
Long manuscripts. 10 out of 10.
Letters and lists. 10 out of 10.
Decor. 10 out of 10.
Maintenance. 10 out of 10.
A near-perfect score! I only deducted one from portability in terms of comparison with ultra portables like the Hermes Baby.
I'll go into the later machines in the next article.
I hope this guides you on the journey!
Write on,
Steven Budden
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