1942/43 Underwood Noiseless Model P

This is one of the nicest Underwood Noiseless Portables I have ever owned.

Why? Well first off, its like new; second - It has a touch control lever; and third it has the red ascent keys like the Remington Streamliner.

So all I had to do to get it back into fighting shape was to replace the platen, ribbon, clean and oil the machine per specs and she's just like new.

Now with thousands of typers crossing my dock at the old St. Louis Virtual Warehouse, (home of MrTypewriters Amazing Wordsmith T-shirt!,) I find the most curious things inside of these old cases; old letters, photos, typewritten papers, and more. I have had hundreds from the war years, and even a few from before World War I. Unfortunately over the years, most of it has gotten pitched or lost.

I ran into the same thing with this old banger, however this one also had gold stenciling on the side of the case. As I started to remove it, I was interrupted by a phone call and was distracted, (some question about was the Noiseless used by Hemingway a Remington #7 or a Underwood #77. Same machine for the most part. Curious thing was after checking I found to my surprise it was neither one, but a Underwood Noiseless P model. I'm a Royal man myself, but this old banger has a class all its own...)

By the way, uou can see Hem with this Underwood for yourself on the cover of the book - Ernest Hemingway A Literary Reference. Available at Amazon.com

As I returned to the cleaning room a bell went off - Hemingway was from Oak Park, Illinois which is only a few blocks from Franklin Park, Illinois. I paused as I was about to start removing the stencil to think about this for a moment. I looked for the letters that were in the machine when I unpacked it, but they had already been thrown away the day before. (Dummy MrT) How about the ages of the machines and the owners? Hmmm. Well the stenciling would have been done about 1942 or 1943 if it had been done when the machine was new. If Schulze was around 30-40 years old at the time the stenciling was done...(back then a machine this nice was bought and cared for by people around that age group, and this machine was well cared for let me tell you!)

I know, I know, you're thinking MrT - you've been nipping at your cleaning fluid again haven't you?! (that may be true, but that's besides the point!) What if there is some connection - an old pal, teacher, neighbor, fellow writer, etc. well? What's the harm in looking in to it?

Just a thought . . .

And by the way - a little information for the nit-pickers out there....The last shown number for the Underwood P model Noisless was 1,040296 Jan 1941 then May 1946 they came back with number of 1,514999. anything between states that it is the war years. This machine is P 1,255.XXX; my thinking is to put it in the middle somewhere around say 1942/43.

Comes with my guarantee of "Fine Old Typewriter" and a clean bill of health.

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