Tag: Olympia SG1

Acquired 1956 Olympia SG1 Standard Typewriter by Olympia Werke AG (Wilhelmshave, Germany)
Serial number: 7-139497 (body), 8-178336 (carriage);
Congress Elite No. 84 typeface, 11CPI, 2.3m/m pitch, 46 keys, 92 characters
bichrome+, tabulator, paper injector, line spacing: 1, 1 1/2, 2, 2 1/2, 3; spaced typing;
2026-01-31 Acquired at thrift for a very reasonable $70.  I was really hoping to get a Modern Elite No. 66 or an Elite No. 8 as my first SG1, but finding this with a Congress Elite No. 84 typeface was a reasonably acceptable alternative, particularly in usable condition.

Initial condition assessment

This 70 year old standard typewriter is in reasonable condition, but will require a full clean/oil/adjust as well as the following repairs: 

  • left shift key broken off and key lever bent
  • blow out old desiccated foam
  • 5-6 sticky keys; remainder are slower than they ought to be
  • broken paper support (surprise!)
  • de-rust some of the internals
  • replace ribbon and poorly matched spools
  • recover platen
  • carriage grinding on return
  • new feet (old, hard, chipping)
  • replace foam with new felt
  • the aligning scales for the Perspex card holders aren’t functioning properly (broken or missing a spring?)
  • polish keys and spacebar
  • brights all need attention and polishing

Repairs on 2026-02-02

With some of the quick repairs listed below, I’ve got this machine up to the level of pretty good acceptable daily use condition. It’ll definitely be a serious member of the rotation once the C/O/A is finished.  If it had a more standard typeface it might have a shot at replacing my elite Royal KMG.

  • basic wipe down of dirt, dust, etc.
  • fixed carriage grinding on return
  • replaced spools and ribbon with nylon blue/green
  • blew out old foam as well as other internal dust and cobwebs
  • basic cleanout of segment to get keys unstuck and working well enough
  • basic oiling of carriage rails and one or two additional spots

Typesample and Slugs

Typesample for a 1956 Olympia SG1 typewriter with a Congress Elite No. 84 typeface

Congress Elite No. 84 typeface on slugs in a close up of the segment of an Olympia SG1 typewriter. There is no significant foundry mark in the middle of the slugs beyond a + symbol.

Olympia SG1 Typewriter Manual

My machine didn’t come with a manual—standard typewriters without protective cases rarely ever do. If you happen to need one for yours, Richard Polt has one in his collection: Olympia SG1 Super De Luxe Operating Instructions

General Comments

As someone who uses a lot of index cards, this seems a spectacular machine. My one immediate issue is that I wish the paper injector went down a few more notches as I have to roll it back up a few lines to get to an acceptable starting line on my index card.