Closing Out a Collection & Starting a Project

It is time to slow the flow of typewriters coming into my life and time instead to write about the joys and stories of the ones that make up this sweet collection. I’m not starting at the beginning or even the end of that collection, but with the typewriter closest at hand, an ultraportable Olympia Splendid 99 from 1960.

May these twenty or so introductions to machines that will make up Typewriter Diaries help you as you learn more about typewriters or choose one (or so) to buy of your own.

The Olympia Splendid 99

This little blue wonder came from Tom Furrier’s typewriter shop, Cambridge Typewriter in Arlington, Massachusetts. Tom posted about it on Instagram in January 2021, the day we got home from our daughter’s out-of-state wedding.

(Swipe through the photos for more images.)

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As soon as I saw Tom’s post, my heart leaped. I loved the machine’s size, make, small typeface, and that it came from London. The 99 model has the most features within the range of Olympia Splendids and is harder to find. (I’ll compare it with the Splendid 33 and 66 at the end of this post.) This one was also an unusual color and in great shape.

Years before, I had bought a lovely gunmetal grey Olympia SF from Tom—an ultraportable similar to the Splendid—to use with high school writing students. My mum was visiting from the UK when we picked up the machine and she took a liking to it. Back it went to England! The writing class ended up with other exciting typewriters and I kept an eye out for another tiny Olympia. Once COVID hit, with life closed down, I really wanted to get out of the house and drive to the beach to write, even if in the car in winter. So this Splendid 99 had a job to do.

Our daughter’s wedding happened at the height of COVID with a dozen contingency plans. My five-month writing project helping with a volume of Ancient Greek history for classical schools wrapped up the same week. And our homeschooled fifth-born needed to submit his college applications, whose school paperwork was entirely my job. Who knew a pandemic could get so busy?!

With the deadlines met, it was time for a January jaunt to a Massachusetts beach with a calm blue typewriter. It was also a great way to celebrate a successful wedding, completed contract, and college-bound son.

‘Have travel typewriter, will travel & write.' Plum Island, Massachusetts, January 2021

Olympia typewriters

The German Olympia company is synonymous with engineering excellence. Many of their typewriter model names are however humorously literal, and most depend on size.

Olympia model names, loosely translated

Olympia SG stands for Schreibmaschine Groß or Hulking Big Typewriter—don’t even think of moving this thing.
Olympia SM stands for Schreibmaschine Mittelgroß or Medium-sized Typewriter—yes, it might have a travel case but you’d regret running for a train.
Olympia SF is a Schreibmaschine Flach or Flat Typewriter—ok, you have a nifty travel typewriter so go ahead, run for the train.
Splendid 33, Splendid 66, and Splendid 99 are also ‘flat typewriters’ strangely absent of German intonation.

Other models include the Monica, the Socialite, and the Traveller. The first is a variation of the SM, and the last two are ultraportables.

Often journalists and authors had a hefty typewriter at their desk and an ultraportable for the road.

Any Famous Authors Used the Olympia Splendid?

Check out the links for photos. Thanks to Richard Polt for these links.

Pros & Cons of the Olympia Splendid

Olympias are top-of-the-line typewriters. They each help make the work of writing an absolute pleasure.

An Olympia SM3 was my very first typewriter. I later found and restored an SM8 and an SM9 with different typefaces, and I consider these among my favorites for regular writerly use.

The Splendid has the same sure feel of solid dependability, combined obviously with greater portability. I keep this machine either out on a shelf at home to use when writing away from my desk and to cheer me up with its glowing blue color, or stowed in a backpack ready for a trip.

The Main Pro: Size!

The Olympia Splendid is only 2-3/4” high with the return carriage arm lowered for travel and 3-3/4” with the arm raised for use.

The Splendid also has a larger carriage return lever than many ultraportables, such as the Hermes Rocket, so feels more like a full-size machine to use. This is a significant plus for some writers.

Yes, a Flat Typewriter. Carriage return arm stowed for travel.

Return arm raised for use. Rubber feet beneath the enclosed body also contribute to the height.

The diligent Typewriter Cat checks the specifications of every machine. Yes, even the tiny Splendid 99 works for spying on the neighborhood. — The diligent Typewriter Cat checks the specifications of every machine. Yes, even the tiny Olympia Splendid works for spying on the neighborhood.

Olympia Splendid 99 testing: an adjoining dictionary is needed for napping. Pencil and crocheted cat toy, optional.

The Main Con: Weight?

The Splendid’s all-metal body is relatively heavy for its size, weighing around 9lbs. That is 2-1/2 times the weight of my laptop. I don’t find the Splendid too heavy to carry but don’t quite trust the original case. Typically a zipper-enclosed, soft, original typewriter case is not of much use after half a century. However, as mentioned, this typewriter fits neatly and securely into the padded laptop section of a backpack.

Some consider the machine’s weight to be a pro since it feels more sturdy to use.

Any ultraportable typewriter typically lacks some features found on a regular portable, such as tab settings, jettisoned to keep down the size.

Though the Splendids do not have a tab button, the 66 and 99 both have two-color ribbon selectors and even a touch control setting that can be lacking on larger machines.

I have not extensively compared this machine to other ultraportables.

Some Frequently Asked Questions

How Old is My Olympia?

First, find your typewriter’s unique serial number.

Where is the serial number on an Olympia Splendid? Move the carriage to the left and you’ll see the number stamped onto the frame, to the right of the bell.

Then, head over to the Typewriter Database.

The link below is for all Olympia typewriters. Scroll down to find your model and locate the year of manufacture that includes your serial number.

Olympia Typewriter Database page

While you’re at the database, check out the page specific to your model, listed by year and serial number by their owners with lots of photos. Olympia Splendid models are at these links:

Olympia Splendid 99. Supposedly, extra chrome trim is the distinguishing feature of the 99. It also has a ribbon selector, and a touch control feature under the hood.
Olympia Splendid 66. The same essential features as the 99 but more readily available.
Olympia Splendid 33. Single color ribbon, no touch control selector, a fold-up paper support, but the same snappy Olympia action in a small package.

You can compare typeface examples, colors, etc. It’s also fascinating to see the different languages available.

Where Do You Get a Replacement Ribbon?

Yes, thankfully typewriter ribbons are still made. They are available on Etsy, at eBay, and on Amazon, such as the universal spool pictured.

(If you purchase a ribbon at this Amazon link, a tiny portion of the sale supports the costs of this website.)

Ribbons are also available from many typewriter resellers such as Charlie Foxtrot Vintage in the UK.

I also like to use colored ribbons from The Modern Typewriter store on Etsy from a seller who makes his own nylon ribbons, with universal spools, in about 19 color combinations. Some people swear by cotton or silk ribbons but nylon works well enough for me.

You can make use of the Splendid’s two-color selector and buy a two-color ribbon, or install a solid color ribbon and get twice the life out of it, top and bottom. A ribbon typically lasts 4 months to a year+ of use, depending on how often you type.

If your typewriter came with its original metal spools, you can rewind a new ribbon onto them, carefully keeping the new ribbon in the same direction as the original. It can get messy but keeps the vintage look.

Finally, How Do You Use the Darn Thing?

Thanks to Mr & Mrs Vintage Typewriters for the manual. Instructions for fitting the ribbon are included.

Olympia Splendid 99 User Manual

a nerdy extra for the history buff

The postwar London offices of Olympia were in Red Lion Square at number 35, as my little Splendid attests on this plate at the rear.

Red Lion Square is in the illustrious neighborhood of Holborn, not far from The British Museum. Holborn took a battering during World War II with the highest death rate per capita in the country as 650 buildings or one-seventh of the neighborhood were destroyed. Red Lion Square was eviscerated.

Rebuilding began in earnest. The new No. 35 was the first postwar building that Churchill dedicated and so it is known as Churchill House. I find it ironic that this building became the UK outpost for a German typewriter manufacturer. Life moves on.

The 1950s-rebuilt No. 35 was also home to Cassell Publishing, responsible for all the foreign language dictionaries of my childhood. In today’s post-typewriter era, Churchill House is home to the Royal College of Aneasthetists. (map)