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1929 Royal P Serial # P156003 1929 Royal P typewriter, Serial # P156003 Brian Decker's 1929 Royal P typewriter. 2025-12-26 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Brian Decker: 1929 Royal P Serial # P156003 This basic black Royal "P" Portable typewriter, S/N P156003 (1929), I picked up at the New Hampshire Antique Co-op in Milford, NH, on August 5, 2001, for $12.00. I had seen it in the shop a month or two earlier, and when it was still there on a re-visit, I decided to pick it up. It has a case, in ratty condition, which is somewhere else in the house (I think), and so it's not in this gallery as of creation-time (12/26/25). This typewriter had the left platen knob missing when I bought it, and later I managed to break the right platen knob in half. I was able to get replacements from Mr. & Mrs. Typewriter (thank you, Walid!), along with some parts for a couple other of my machines. Mr. & Mrs. Typewriter also provided a beveled ribbon advance gear, which I have not yet installed on the machine. The typeface is Pica. The machine needs a fair bit of work, but it has a fairly recent platen & feed roller job from Ames Supply Co. (circa April 2008); so I probably should go all the way to get it working well.

Speaking of NH Antique Co-op, that's that place where I found "the one that got away" some time in 2001 or maybe 2002. I found a Williams Model 1, straight-keyboard variant, in excellent condition. The asking price was way more than I could afford at the time: well over $500, but less than $1000. I think it was in the $650-850 range somewhere. At that time of my life, there was no way I could swing that, and the next time I dropped by the shop, it was gone.

1929 Royal P #P156003

Status: My Collection
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 12-26-2025 at 05:01PM
Last Edit: 12-26-2025 at 05:04PM

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Description:

This basic black Royal "P" Portable typewriter, S/N P156003 (1929), I picked up at the New Hampshire Antique Co-op in Milford, NH, on August 5, 2001, for $12.00. I had seen it in the shop a month or two earlier, and when it was still there on a re-visit, I decided to pick it up. It has a case, in ratty condition, which is somewhere else in the house (I think), and so it's not in this gallery as of creation-time (12/26/25). This typewriter had the left platen knob missing when I bought it, and later I managed to break the right platen knob in half. I was able to get replacements from Mr. & Mrs. Typewriter (thank you, Walid!), along with some parts for a couple other of my machines. Mr. & Mrs. Typewriter also provided a beveled ribbon advance gear, which I have not yet installed on the machine. The typeface is Pica. The machine needs a fair bit of work, but it has a fairly recent platen & feed roller job from Ames Supply Co. (circa April 2008); so I probably should go all the way to get it working well.

Speaking of NH Antique Co-op, that's that place where I found "the one that got away" some time in 2001 or maybe 2002. I found a Williams Model 1, straight-keyboard variant, in excellent condition. The asking price was way more than I could afford at the time: well over $500, but less than $1000. I think it was in the $650-850 range somewhere. At that time of my life, there was no way I could swing that, and the next time I dropped by the shop, it was gone.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Top front.
Top front.

Paper table.
Paper table.

Paper table folded back.
Paper table folded back.

Right quadrant
Right quadrant

Right.
Right.

Back.
Back.

Left.
Left.

Left quadrant.
Left quadrant.

Serial number.
Serial number.

Typing sample.
Typing sample.

Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)

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

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 771

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.


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

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