Due to popular demand, we are offering up an IBM Selectric, serviced by an IBM trained technician.

We adjust and replace drive belts, motors, and gears as needed.

We sell these by color. All will be in ‘excellent, mildly used’ condition.

With new ink and correcting tape installed. These have the feature where you can backspace and then white out a letter, and typing over it. This is all done ‘somewhat’ automatically.

These come in a diverse range of colors. I’ll only list the ones I have available now.

Forgive the poor pictures, many of these pass through my technician, and I don’t get them in front of my camera: though that will soon be remedied.

The color is, of course, an inspirational piece that is not quite as critical as the working quality.

The difficulty is in shipping, and we are using some of IBM’s original shipping strategies. We advice you to hold onto the box, so that you can return if servicing is required, as needed.

These are large machines, by the way, and heavy (circa 40 pounds). Though Hunter S. Thompson is pictured walking through the airport with his red one, these are not really designed to travel like that. They work better as desktop devices (though they can be moved from room to room by a strong-armed person (like you?).

History.

The IBM Selectric III typewriter is an iconic piece of office equipment that revolutionized the way people typed. Introduced by IBM in 1980, it was the successor to the immensely popular Selectric II, continuing the legacy of its predecessors with enhanced features and improvements.

History: The Selectric line of typewriters began with the original IBM Selectric, which was introduced in 1961. Unlike traditional typewriters that used typebars, the Selectric used a revolutionary "golf ball" typing element. This spherical typeball contained all the characters, numbers, and symbols on its surface. When a key was pressed, the Selectric's mechanism rotated the typeball to the correct position and struck it against the ribbon and paper, resulting in crisp and consistent typing.

The Selectric series quickly became a staple in offices worldwide due to its speed, reliability, and ease of use. The Selectric II, introduced in 1971, brought further refinements and improvements, including a correction feature that allowed typists to easily erase errors without using messy correction fluid.

Features of the Selectric III: When IBM released the Selectric III in 1980, it retained the core features of its predecessors while introducing some notable enhancements:

1. Improved typing mechanism: The Selectric III featured a refined typing mechanism for smoother and quieter operation, enhancing the overall typing experience.

2. Multiple font options: While earlier models were typically monospaced, the Selectric III offered interchangeable typeballs with different fonts and character sizes. This allowed users to customize their typing style and cater to specific formatting requirements.

3. Enhanced correction capabilities: Building on the correction feature introduced in the Selectric II, the Selectric III offered even more efficient correction options, including a larger correction tape capacity and improved reliability.

4. Modernized design: The Selectric III featured a sleek and modern design, with updated styling and ergonomic considerations to improve user comfort during extended typing sessions.

Legacy: The IBM Selectric III continued the legacy of its predecessors as a reliable and versatile typewriter, maintaining its popularity well into the 1980s and even the early 1990s, despite the rise of personal computers and word processors. Its durability and ease of maintenance ensured that many Selectric III typewriters remained in service long after they were discontinued.

Although the era of typewriters has largely passed, the IBM Selectric III remains an iconic symbol of a bygone era in office technology, celebrated for its innovative design and enduring impact on the way people worked with written documents.