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1909 Underwood 4 Serial # 236929 1909 Underwood 4 typewriter, Serial # 236929 Zachary Greene's 1909 Underwood 4 typewriter. 2022-06-06 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Zachary Greene: 1909 Underwood 4 Serial # 236929 This Underwood 4 would be an otherwise unremarkable specimen of its make, were it not for the unusual backspace mechanism on the left of the machine. I got this machine back in 2016, and for the life of me I could not find another example of it until recently. I was able to find the patent for it, but that was a long time ago. It seems to be a short lived experiment, as other models the next model year feature the usual backspace mechanism with a key. It works fine and it is pretty intuitive after writing for a couple of lines.

What makes this typewriter more remarkable is that it was given to me by a family friend who saw it on the side of the road while driving. I have not attempted to address any of the cosmetic issues, so it is apparent that this machine had spent a lot of time unused and dirty, evident by some green paint splatter on the top of it in spots. It's a great typer, works just as well today as it did when used daily.

I included a closeup of the backspace mechanism itself, some of the screws look damaged because I didn't have the right tools at the time when I was fixing it as a highschooler. It's a regret of mine now, but it is what it is.

1909 Underwood 4 #236929

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Zachary Greene (ZGMB)
Created: 01-12-2022 at 05:36PM
Last Edit: 06-06-2022 at 03:13PM

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Description:

This Underwood 4 would be an otherwise unremarkable specimen of its make, were it not for the unusual backspace mechanism on the left of the machine. I got this machine back in 2016, and for the life of me I could not find another example of it until recently. I was able to find the patent for it, but that was a long time ago. It seems to be a short lived experiment, as other models the next model year feature the usual backspace mechanism with a key. It works fine and it is pretty intuitive after writing for a couple of lines.

What makes this typewriter more remarkable is that it was given to me by a family friend who saw it on the side of the road while driving. I have not attempted to address any of the cosmetic issues, so it is apparent that this machine had spent a lot of time unused and dirty, evident by some green paint splatter on the top of it in spots. It's a great typer, works just as well today as it did when used daily.

I included a closeup of the backspace mechanism itself, some of the screws look damaged because I didn't have the right tools at the time when I was fixing it as a highschooler. It's a regret of mine now, but it is what it is.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:






Hunter: Zachary Greene (ZGMB)

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Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 120

College age collector from New Jersey. Struggling to keep my collection under 30 machines. Started with this hobby back in 2014 when I was a freshman in high school, and it has led me all across the spectrum of machine repair from telephones to tape machines. I always end up coming back to typewriters though, can't keep me from returning to my roots.


RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Underwood 4 on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Underwood Serial Number page and the Underwood 4 By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.

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