Prewar Royal De Luxe Portable Typewriter • Deep Burgundy • Duo Case & Manual
$499.00
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The Typewriter Mechanic
ROYAL DE LUXE PORTABLE
Deep Burgundy • Original Duo Case • Period Manuals
This Royal arrives wearing nearly ninety years of use in plain sight.
Its enamel shifts with the light: deep burgundy at first glance, cordovan along the rounded edges, and nearly black when the room grows dim. Paint has chipped from the ribbon cover, paper table, and the places where generations of hands naturally met the machine. The scars are plentiful, honestly photographed, and impossible to mistake for neglect. Beneath them, the finish still carries a remarkable depth and gloss.
The story continues inside the case. A Royal instruction booklet and large foldout guide remain with the machine, both creased, handled, and annotated by earlier owners. They explain the Touch Control, margins, ribbon path, variable spacing, and the curious workings of Royal’s Duo Case. Somebody once learned this machine from those pages. Somebody else had the good sense not to throw them away.
It does not feel preserved behind glass. It feels carried forward.
THE ROYAL DE LUXE
This is a prewar Royal De Luxe portable from the Model A family, Royal’s more generously equipped portable offering of the period. Its features include Touch Control, tabulator, margin release, ribbon selector, variable spacing, glass-ring keys, and the distinctive hinged ribbon cover that opens like a pair of mechanical wings.
The exact manufacture year remains pending serial confirmation. Until the serial number is checked against Royal production records, the honest description is simply late 1930s.
PREPARATION & TESTING
The machine has been prepared for sale and tested, with its principal functions operating properly before shipment. A ribbon is included with purchase.
AT THE KEYBOARD
The action has the positive, deliberate character that made Royal portables such enduring working machines. Key travel feels substantial without becoming ponderous, the controls fall naturally to hand, and the long return lever gives each new line a satisfying bit of ceremony.
This is a fine fit for letters, journaling, manuscripts, or anyone drawn to the rhythm and physical presence of a prewar American writer. Its age is never hidden, but neither is its continuing usefulness.
COSMETIC CONDITION
The deep burgundy enamel remains gorgeous, but this is not a cosmetically pristine machine. There is widespread paint chipping and edge wear across the ribbon cover, paper table, front lip, rear panel, and other exposed areas. Smaller scratches, marks, and finish losses are visible throughout.
The remaining paint retains excellent depth, especially under warm light. The glass-ring keys are bright and highly legible, the chrome and nickel hardware provide handsome contrast, and the exposed mechanism presents remarkably well.
Please study the photographs closely. The wear is part of the machine’s appearance and has been shown plainly rather than softened in the description.
DUO CASE & PAPERWORK
The original Royal Duo Case is included. Its removable upper shell allows the machine to remain secured to the lower case section while in use, or to be released entirely using the retaining latches described in the original guide.
The case remains structurally sound with both exterior latches present. Its covering shows expected scuffs, edge wear, corner wear, and small losses. The leather handle remains intact but is dry, cracked, and heavily aged. No case key is included.
Also included are the period Royal care booklet and foldout operating guide. Both show significant age, handling wear, creasing, marks, and small tears, but remain wonderfully evocative companions to the machine.
INCLUDED
* Royal De Luxe manual typewriter
* Original Royal Duo carrying case
* Period “A Few Suggestions” care booklet
* Period foldout Royal operating guide
* A ribbon is included with purchase
TYPED SAMPLE
Curious how this machine types? I’m happy to provide a short typed sample by request — a sentence or two of your choosing, within reason — so you can see the actual imprint, alignment, and ribbon performance before purchase.
SHIPPING
The machine will be immobilized, packed with serious care for modern parcel shipping, and fully insured.
PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASE
This is a vintage mechanical typewriter, carefully tested and described according to its condition before shipment. It will be packed with serious care and fully insured. Because these machines are often 50–100 years old, minor adjustment may occasionally be needed after transit, even when properly packed. Slight alignment variance, ribbon behavior, or small mechanical quirks can be part of vintage typewriter ownership. Please review the photos and condition notes closely, and feel free to ask questions before purchase.
Prewar Royal De Luxe Portable Typewriter • Deep Burgundy • Duo Case & Manual
$499.00
ROYAL DE LUXE PORTABLE
Deep Burgundy • Original Duo Case • Period Manuals
This Royal arrives wearing nearly ninety years of use in plain sight.
Its enamel shifts with the light: deep burgundy at first glance, cordovan along the rounded edges, and nearly black when the room grows dim. Paint has chipped from the ribbon cover, paper table, and the places where generations of hands naturally met the machine. The scars are plentiful, honestly photographed, and impossible to mistake for neglect. Beneath them, the finish still carries a remarkable depth and gloss.
The story continues inside the case. A Royal instruction booklet and large foldout guide remain with the machine, both creased, handled, and annotated by earlier owners. They explain the Touch Control, margins, ribbon path, variable spacing, and the curious workings of Royal’s Duo Case. Somebody once learned this machine from those pages. Somebody else had the good sense not to throw them away.
It does not feel preserved behind glass. It feels carried forward.
THE ROYAL DE LUXE
This is a prewar Royal De Luxe portable from the Model A family, Royal’s more generously equipped portable offering of the period. Its features include Touch Control, tabulator, margin release, ribbon selector, variable spacing, glass-ring keys, and the distinctive hinged ribbon cover that opens like a pair of mechanical wings.
The exact manufacture year remains pending serial confirmation. Until the serial number is checked against Royal production records, the honest description is simply late 1930s.
PREPARATION & TESTING
The machine has been prepared for sale and tested, with its principal functions operating properly before shipment. A ribbon is included with purchase.
AT THE KEYBOARD
The action has the positive, deliberate character that made Royal portables such enduring working machines. Key travel feels substantial without becoming ponderous, the controls fall naturally to hand, and the long return lever gives each new line a satisfying bit of ceremony.
This is a fine fit for letters, journaling, manuscripts, or anyone drawn to the rhythm and physical presence of a prewar American writer. Its age is never hidden, but neither is its continuing usefulness.
COSMETIC CONDITION
The deep burgundy enamel remains gorgeous, but this is not a cosmetically pristine machine. There is widespread paint chipping and edge wear across the ribbon cover, paper table, front lip, rear panel, and other exposed areas. Smaller scratches, marks, and finish losses are visible throughout.
The remaining paint retains excellent depth, especially under warm light. The glass-ring keys are bright and highly legible, the chrome and nickel hardware provide handsome contrast, and the exposed mechanism presents remarkably well.
Please study the photographs closely. The wear is part of the machine’s appearance and has been shown plainly rather than softened in the description.
DUO CASE & PAPERWORK
The original Royal Duo Case is included. Its removable upper shell allows the machine to remain secured to the lower case section while in use, or to be released entirely using the retaining latches described in the original guide.
The case remains structurally sound with both exterior latches present. Its covering shows expected scuffs, edge wear, corner wear, and small losses. The leather handle remains intact but is dry, cracked, and heavily aged. No case key is included.
Also included are the period Royal care booklet and foldout operating guide. Both show significant age, handling wear, creasing, marks, and small tears, but remain wonderfully evocative companions to the machine.
INCLUDED
* Royal De Luxe manual typewriter
* Original Royal Duo carrying case
* Period “A Few Suggestions” care booklet
* Period foldout Royal operating guide
* A ribbon is included with purchase
TYPED SAMPLE
Curious how this machine types? I’m happy to provide a short typed sample by request — a sentence or two of your choosing, within reason — so you can see the actual imprint, alignment, and ribbon performance before purchase.
SHIPPING
The machine will be immobilized, packed with serious care for modern parcel shipping, and fully insured.
PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASE
This is a vintage mechanical typewriter, carefully tested and described according to its condition before shipment. It will be packed with serious care and fully insured. Because these machines are often 50–100 years old, minor adjustment may occasionally be needed after transit, even when properly packed. Slight alignment variance, ribbon behavior, or small mechanical quirks can be part of vintage typewriter ownership. Please review the photos and condition notes closely, and feel free to ask questions before purchase.