1927 Corona 4 #4L00355

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 01-05-2025 at 11:05AM
Last Edit: 01-11-2026 at 08:18AM

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Description:

This is my 1927 Corona Four machine. It includes the warranty card, which indicates it was sold on 9/17/1926 by Grant's Book Shop of Utica, NY. However, the serial number, 4L00355, indicates a manufacture date in July-August of 1927 (more likely July, due to the low serial code, xx00355). It seems that perhaps the dealer wrote the year incorrectly, amazing though this seems, given it was mid-year, and it was a warranty card for 1 year from "date of delivery to the original purchaser". Perhaps there was excitement in the Book Shop that day due to the legendary 1927 New York Yankees heading towards the pennant?

This was only the 2nd typewriter I ever won in an eBay auction, and the first portable: I won the auction for $24.99 on 9/21/1998. With shipping at $6.66, plus a postal money order for $0.85 (as was done those days with eBay purchases), my total cost was $32.50. I had the platen and feed rollers for this machine re-surfaced by Ames Supply Co. in December of 2007, and I purchased a new set of rubber feet for it in 2025.

The typeface is Pica, and seems identical to the typeface for my other black Corona 4 machine, #2K13611 (April 1926); see the linked gallery. These machines look very similar, but there are a lot of subtle differences between the Corona Four (#2K13611) and the Smith-Corona 4 (#4L00355). Most noticeable may be going from a bail-type paper guide to paper fingers. Also, #2K13611 has a margin release key labeled "Margin Release Right", whereas the same key position is simply labeled "Margin Release" on the later machine. Also, the direction of the paper release levers was reversed from push-back on the older machine, to pull-forward on the newer one.

Typeface Specimen:

Links:

• Gallery for Corona 4 #2K13611

Photos:

Corona Four #4L00355 front, low angle.

Corona Four #4L00355 rear

Corona Four #4L00355 warranty card

Corona Four #4L00355 case

Front, with paper inserted.

Front low-angle, with paper inserted.

Right quadrant.

Right.

Back.

Underside.

Serial number.

Left.

Left quadrant.

With case.

Warranty card.

Typing sample. The comment that this machine was likely manufactured in August is incorrect; it was more likely made in July.

Jan 11, 2026 typing sample.

Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)

Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 1440

My interest in typewriters started in 1997, when I was in graduate school at the University of Georgia. I purchased and read Darryl Rehr's book, joined ETC, and started reaching out to known collectors. I had several email interchanges with Richard Polt dating from that period. I also bought some of my first machines from Bob Aubert, and visited him at his home twice. After marriage and relocation to New England, I continued visiting antique shops and eBay, until other priorities put my typewriter hobby on hiatus around 2008. I still have my collection of around 57 machines, and now I have a renewed interest in getting some of them in good working and cosmetic order.