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Royal typewriters were first manufactured in the early 1900s by E.B. Hess, according to TypewriterMuseum.org. The initial Royal typewriter was later followed by two additional models, the Royal 5 typewriter and the Royal 10 typewriter, which are the most valuable. Later Royal versions varied wildly in their design and, though popular, are not prized as collectibles. Identifying a Royal typewriter is not difficult, since there are several features that distinguish it from other typewriters.

Examine the typewriter for the Royal name, which appeared on every Royal typewriter. The name is located in several places, including just above the keys, at the upper back of the machine above the carriage return and on the machine sides. The ' R' in the Royal name has a long flourish on the right side that wraps underneath the word and stops under the first leg of the 'A.' In later models, the flourish extended under the entire word or was eliminated as the name was printed in block lettering.

Look for a typewriter that has gold lettering on it, found on the Royal 1 model, or silver lettering found on the Royal 10 model. All of the lettering on the early Royal machines, including the patent information, is in either the gold or silver color. Later models of Royals changed on an almost yearly basis and there is no consistency among colors used.

Look for typewriters that have a entirely black body, with the exception of the lettering. All Royal typewriters prior to 1950 had a black body. The one exception is the Royal Quiet De Luxe Gold model, which had shiny gold plating on the sides, with the rest of the body being black. After 1950, the body color changed frequently and may be either brown, blue, gray or olive green.

Examine the patents on the back of the Royal machine. The original Royal listed 25 patent dates, and future models listed many more.

Examine the sides of the typewriter and look for beveled glass windows, which identify the Royal 10 model. There will be either one window on each side or two windows on each side.

Locate the serial number on the typewriter to determine the year of manufacture. The serial number may be located on the back of the machine or on the inside, near the ribbon holder. Look up the serial number in the Typewriter Serial Number Database listed in the Resources section. This will pinpoint the exact date of manufacture as well as authenticate that the machine is a Royal.

Tip

If the typewriter has the words 'Royal Grand' written on it, it is the most valuable and highly desired version of Royal typewriters.

Royal portables were designed in a variety of colors and designs, much like the modern-day laptop. The easiest way to identify these is to look them up in an antique typewriter directory or by serial number.

The Royal Quiet Deluxe was a portable typewriter, made by the Royal Typewriter Company, from 1939 until 1959. The first-generation Quiet Deluxe was the first Royal to feature Magic Margin. The first generation of Royal Quiet Deluxe was manufactured from 1939 until 1948, with a gap in production due to World War II. It was the typewriter of choice for Ernest Hemingway.^[1]

In the late 1940s, the Royal Quiet Deluxe was redesigned by Henry Dreyfuss. It was redesigned again in 1950, with the corners rounded off. By 1955, it was being offered in a choice of six colors, and gray. According to The Typewriter Database, the last Royal Quiet Deluxe typewriters were made in 1957.^[2] Most typewriters called the Quiet Deluxe were made in the United States, except for the later, rounded plastic machines bearing the name 'Quiet Deluxe.' These were made in The Netherlands. The typewriter pictured is a 1954 model, which was made in Hartford, Connecticut.

According to Machines of Loving Grace, an online museum of typewriters by a prolific collector, the Quiet Deluxe was a refinement of the earlier Standard and DeLuxe models. 'The DeLuxe is very similar to the Portable Standard in style and function. It has the addition of a tabulator, a paper guide, and of course its signature 'crinkle' finish and chromed bands. Down the road, the DeLuxe would be merged with the short-lived Quiet model and become one of Royal's most popular models, the Quiet DeLuxe.',^[3] and the Quiet Deluxe was later updated to add a cover release, a carriage-return tension adjustment, a remaining-paper guide, and relocated tab adjustments.

The Royal Typewriter Company produced a special edition of the Quiet Deluxe with gold-plated accents,^[4] 'Some of these golden models were given as awards to Royal Typewriter company employees. Others were given to high school students who were winners of writing competitions sponsored by Royal Typewriter.'^[5]

Royal Quiet De Luxe Manual

One of these is reported to have been commissioned by author Ian Fleming 'After finishing the first draft of Casino Royale, Ian Fleming rewarded himself with a Royal Quiet Deluxe Portable gold-plated typewriter, which he used to write the rest of his books and short stories. Fleming bought the gold-plated Royal Quiet Deluxe Portable typewriter from a New York dealer in 1952'.^[6] According to the Guinness Book of World Records, this typewriter is the world's most expensive: 'Ian Fleming's gold plated typewriter, which was commissioned by the James Bond writer in 1952, was sold for £56,250 ($90,309) at Christie's, London, UK on 5 May 1995.'^[7] Author Ernest Hemingway also used a Quiet De Luxe. 'A manual Royal typewriter that once belonged to Ernest Hemingway, made around 1940 and still in its well-worn leather carrying case, sold for $2,750 at a multi-estate sale held June 24th [2007] by Four Seasons Auction Gallery'^[8] in Atlanta, Georgia, although it is not clear whether this typewriter was a Quiet De Luxe or the very-similar Arrow model that Hemingway also used.

Royal Quiet De Luxe Manual

References[edit]

1. ^'Keystone Typewriter Company'. Keystone Typewriter Company. Retrieved 8 October 2012.
2. ^'The Typewriter Database'. The Typewriter Database. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
3. ^'Royal Typewriters'. Machines of Loving Grace. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
4. ^'Royal Quiet De Luxe gold'. The Virtual Typewriter Museum. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
5. ^'Rare Royal 1953 Quiet Deluxe Gold Portable Typewriter Limited Edition - Ian Fleming wrote 007 novels on one!'. Collectors Weekly. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
6. ^'The Man With The Golden Typewriter'. Artistic Licence Renewed: An Art and Literary James Bond Blog and Tribute to Richard Chopping. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
7. ^'James Bond - 50 of the Best 007-Related Records to Mark 50 Years on the Big Screen'. Guinness World Record News. Retrieved April 5, 2014.
8. ^'Hemingway's typewriter hits $2,750 at Four Seasons'. News-Antique.com. Retrieved April 5, 2014.

External links[edit]

• Royal Quiet Deluxe patent on Google Books
• 1955 Advertisement on Google Books
• Two-page ad for Royal Quiet Deluxe, 1950 on Google Books
• Royal Quiet Deluxe ad on Google Books
• Typewriter Database, formerly cited on November 3, 2012 in this article, is defunct as of April 2014. The data from that database has been revived in The Typewriter Database.
• Ian Fleming: Royal Quiet Deluxe has detailed pictures of a model similar to Mr. Fleming's.