Tag: Olympia SM9

Acquired 1964 Olympia SM9 Portable Typewriter by Olympia Werke AG, Wilhelmshaven, Germany
Serial number: 2613754
Congress Elite No. 84 typeface, 11 CPI (2.3 m/m)
In what I may call the Academy 97 typewriter because I received it on the day of the 97th Annual Academy Awards on March 2nd, I’ve acquired my first SM9.

It’s a solid looking machine aside from some small damage to the rivets at the back of the case, some paint wear on the hood from a too-low carriage return arm, and some dried out and cracked rubber feet. Even the ribbon seems usable. It’s hiding a Congress Elite No. 84 font at 11 CPI (2.3 m/m). Someone both used and loved this machine and even put it away last with clean slugs. This should be imminently restorable to it’s former glory.

Given how sought after these are as one of the best portables ever made and the generally excellent condition, I can’t bring myself to tell the pittance I found it for, particularly when I see ones in mediocre or unknown shape going for over $100 on many of the auction sites lately. Given how 2025 has been going so far, I’ll gratefully take the win. Naturally it’ll be a minute before I can clean it up properly, but I can already tell this will be a fun little machine. I can’t wait to do a direct comparison with it’s carriage shifted SM3 “little brother”.

I’ve uploaded some preliminary photos of it in its received condition including one of the bottom to show the “furriness” of the pre-serviced condition.

Oblique angle on the left side of a 1964 Olympia SM9 typewriter which has some carriage return handle wear on the cream colored hood.

Close up of the steel slugs of a 1964 Olympia SM9 typewriter which are marked in a 2x2 grid with 84 in the bottom left corner and 6,6 in the bottom right

Dusty bottom of a 1964 Olympia SM9 typewriter which has a worn and cracked light green foot and the serial number 2613754

Type sample of a 1964 Olympia SM9 typewriter with Congress Elite No. 84 typeface in 11 pitch. The usual Quick Brown Fox sentence and lower case and upper case layouts of the US standard keyboard

Sitting on a wooden card catalog is a 1964 Olympia SM9 typewriter with cream hood and keys and gray body. The shift keys and carriage knobs have the same green highlight color as the Olympia badge on the hood of the typewriter.