Olympia SM3 / SM4
‘Mercedes Benz of Typewriters.’
Order your typewriter today, and I will send you a beautiful specimen of this model in about 2 weeks.
It won’t be exactly as pictured, but it will be a working typewriter in comparable condition.
Beautiful Olympia SM3 or SM4 in working condition. All functions work as designed and this comes with a working guarantee.
The SM3 has a longer spacebar, and the SM4 has a shorter space bar, and tab set and release keys on either side.
Comes with iconic formed case, silver.
There are some variations in key and platen knob colors.
It comes with the original molded case, a new ribbon, and a digital copy of the manual.
This legendary machine was once considered the Cadillac of typewriters. Made with precision in West Germany. Bulletproof is a good word to describe machines of this vintage..
This will last another 50 years with ease.
Includes:
Fresh Ribbon, Installed
Digital Manual
Original Case
Serif Font
Single, 1.5, and double line spacing.
Tabulator features
US QWERTY Keyboard
End of Line Bell
Lifetime Tradein Policy
Classic Typewriter Working Guarantee
Enjoy the writing!
BUY with CONFIDENCE...
THE CLASSIC TYPEWRITER PROCESS
Working Guarantee
(Or: How dare we guarantee a 50 or 60 year old machine?)
Each machine is carefully screened for quality and reliability.
Each machine passes a rigorous 14 point mechanical inspection.
Each machine is cleaned, serviced, and adjusted so that it functions as it was designed to.
Each machine is THOROUGHLY tested by a writer. (Usually people who say a typewriter ‘works’ haven’t tested most of its most important features. Sometimes the type bars move but are misaligned; sometimes the carriage won’t advance; sometimes lesser-used keys stick; sometimes whole pieces are missing, etc). If it is found to need work, we have technicians with 40 years of experience.
If it is found to be acceptable…
Each machine is described in vivid detail and carefully photographed from every angle in high resolution so you know exactly what you’re getting.
Each machine is cleaned and carefully packaged for safe shipment (believe it or not, improper shipping is the MOST COMMON CAUSE OF DAMAGE for a vintage typewriter).
The Classic Typewriter LIFETIME Trade-In Policy
If at any reason you decide that you are done with the machine you got from us, you can trade it in for the full value, minus shipping and, if there is any, wear and tear. You pay the difference and we will send your next dream machine.
Classic Typewriter Promises.
What you'll get:
A beautiful writing machine to inspire decades of writing enjoyment. Serviced, lubricated, and ready to use.
I want to imagine that opening the box is like opening the curtain on a warm spring day: a glow of delight fills you.
Imagine the box with the 'Classic Typewriter' imprint delivered to your door.
Features:
Each machine passes our rigorous 14 point mechanical inspection.
The machine comes with our 'famous Classic Typewriter Guarantee'.
(It will be working on arrival, or we will remedy the situation).
A Lifetime Trade In Policy.
(Trade it in for the value you paid toward another machine as long as we're in business).
A copy of the original manual.
(Original if we have it, or a digital copy).
Safe, eco-friendly packaging. (Double-walled 250 lbs pound tested box, secured carriage).
(We've shipped over 500 machines with very few problems).
A new ribbon, on vintage spools.
Machine support. (We realize that it may be intimidating to embrace an older technology, so you'll have support where needed).
A digital guide to using your new (vintage) machine and replacing supplies.
Refurbished, original platen.
(We resurface the outer layer, to create a beautiful surface for the type slugs. This is preferable to 'new' platens in many cases for a few reasons).
New feet or rollers as needed.
We source the best condition machine available, serviced by skilled technicians and ready to write.
***
FAQ
When will I get my machine?
We ship your writing machine in 2-3 weeks, via UPS ground. (To the US. International shipping requires a few days more, USPS International services).
What takes that long?
We sell machines by model, so it takes take a machine out of inventory that matches your specs, and inspect, clean, and service it.
Can I just find a used machine somewhere instead?
Of course! We encourage you to explore the world. However, it won't quite work right. this is the nature of a machine sitting for decades.
If you need to get to writing, and spare yourself many nights of research and tinkering, we have the solution.
What about 'refurbished' machines on other vintage sites?
Usually, they are just cleaned up slightly and shipped out. They don't usually work 100% (more like 80%). This is because most people have never used a writing machine, so they don't know how it is supposed to work! They see an opportunity to buy a vintage machine and 'flip it', however... you get what you pay for, as the old adage goes!
Why do you charge X?
Excellent question!
Priceless heirloom, endless inspiration, the stuff of dreams.
You’ll pass it to your children or into the annals of history.
Ask yourself what this will bring you, and what you could create with it, and you’ll have answered your question.
@thevitruvianway on Instagram uses an SM3 he got from us to showcase his epic poetry.
SM3 in an elegant color combination.
Woody Allen wrote every screenplay of his long career on an SM3.
The Olympia SM 3 appeared in 1951. It embodies the definition of classic of typewriter design. Marketed as a high-end machine, the SM brochure says:
“ ... the finest writing machine money can buy, with all the advantages of portability... It's built better - for life."
Olympia SMs were once considered the Mercedes Benz of typewriters. The Hermes 3000 and the SM3 & SM4 were the most expensive typewriters available at the time, so owners tended to care for them well.
The SM3 is beautifully engineered, down to the last detail. I’ve often opened one up and marveled at the polished metal finishes throughout. Most typewriter makers didn’t pay such fine attention to detail. Even the ‘De Lux’ inlay over the type bars in the SM 3 and the ‘S’ on the SM 4 are beautiful.
I’ve often marveled over one of these.
There are a few color combinations, most of the models being some variant of green. Sometimes, the keyboards vary in color, or the spacebar, or the platen knob. The rarer colors tend to cost more; black, burgundy, aquamarine.
You can tell an SM3 from an SM4 by the tab set and clear buttons on either side of the space bar, and a few other minor features. Other than that they are nearly identical. Some prefer the SM3 for the large spacebar, which facilitates fast (carefree) typing.
The cases are interesting; modernist inspired, ergonomic, and painted silver. Hewn of heavy plywood, they tend to hold together well. As with most typewriters, the bottom of the case detaches, so that you can type on it.
The late Olympia SM3s and Olympia SM4s are built with a spring beneath each key that keeps the key level during use… a brilliant concept that renders long typing sessions much more comfortable.
Because they are carriage-shift instead of basket shift, shifting to caps or alternate characters takes some learning after years of digital keyboards. If you prefer similar, robust engineering in a package that some consider less visually appealing, opt for an SM9. What you lose for in flash and chrome you gain in practicality for fast typing.
The other SMs (1,2,5,6,7,8) are less ideal for various reasons. Either they are more cheaply made or less practically designed.
SM3 and SM4 Recommended for:
Poets
Screenwriters (Woody Allen composed every screenplay he ever wrote on one of these)
Writers who prefer an elegant aesthetic
Thoughtful writers who prefer a deliberate, steady pace
Writers who may travel with their machine occasionally or who leave it on their desk or in their studio (for daily travel there are better-suited portable models)
Those who require a photogenic machine
Features
SM3
Paper Rest
Spring-Leveling Keys (on certain years)
Manual Tab Set / Clear
Duotone Type Settings
Durable Wooden Case with Detachable Base
SM4
Ruled Paper Rest
Spring-Leveling Keys
Auto Tab Cet / Clear
Duotone Type Settings
Durable Wooden Case