I picked up this machine on eBay a few weeks ago. When it arrived, it was in decent condition overall, but it was pretty grimy and had a few minor issues—the cork under the type bars had come loose, the felt under the platen was falling apart such that the carriage didn’t move back and forth properly, and the ribbon was completely dried out.
Typewriter repair is beyond me, so I dropped it off at my local shop. After a thorough cleaning, a new ribbon, and some minor repairs, I picked it up this morning, and I am quite happy with it.
There seems to be some uncertainty regarding the range of serial numbers, but I’m guessing this machine is from 1950 or thereabouts. I need to dig up a manual to figure out how the tabs work, but otherwise, I’m really happy with it. I was a little worries about the tiny space bar, but that hasn’t been bothering me at all, and the key action is very nice—surprisingly smooth and solid for how small the typewriter is.