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1931 Remington Porto-Rite Serial # SR12042 1931 Remington Porto-Rite typewriter, Serial # SR12042 Brian Decker's 1931 Remington Porto-Rite typewriter. 2026-10-17 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of Brian Decker: 1931 Remington Porto-Rite Serial # SR12042 2026-OCT-17, Gallery Creation. An eBay sighting that appeared on the market several days ago; seller is "barbedwireworld" based in Norman, OK, and the current asking price is $200 OBO. My motivation for posting a gallery for this one is to continue to document the variation with serial number that I have been observing with Porto-Rites. This one has the serial number on the front comb, which per my current working hypothesis implies a manufacture date of October 1930 or later, Oct-Nov 1930 being about the time that Remington switched serial number stamps at the rear of the machine to etched serial numbers on the front comb. This Porto-Rite also has a Tab key, and the knobbed-rod type of paper release lever, both of which are consistent with my estimated 1931 production date. I am assuming a production/sale rate of roughly 150-200 Porto-Rites per month before Remington records kick in at #SR14972 (May 1932), based on the span of production and estimated total production figures on Richard Polt's website. Granted, these are not super-confident figures.

1931 Remington Porto-Rite #SR12042

Status: Sightings
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 10-17-2026 at 08:12AM
Last Edit: 10-17-2026 at 08:39AM


Description:

2026-OCT-17, Gallery Creation. An eBay sighting that appeared on the market several days ago; seller is "barbedwireworld" based in Norman, OK, and the current asking price is $200 OBO. My motivation for posting a gallery for this one is to continue to document the variation with serial number that I have been observing with Porto-Rites. This one has the serial number on the front comb, which per my current working hypothesis implies a manufacture date of October 1930 or later, Oct-Nov 1930 being about the time that Remington switched serial number stamps at the rear of the machine to etched serial numbers on the front comb. This Porto-Rite also has a Tab key, and the knobbed-rod type of paper release lever, both of which are consistent with my estimated 1931 production date. I am assuming a production/sale rate of roughly 150-200 Porto-Rites per month before Remington records kick in at #SR14972 (May 1932), based on the span of production and estimated total production figures on Richard Polt's website. Granted, these are not super-confident figures.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Front view on base.
Front view on base.

Top-down view.
Top-down view.

Top-down view in case.
Top-down view in case.

Serial number.
Serial number.

Type bars.  No typing sample, but looks to me like pica foundry markings.
Type bars. No typing sample, but looks to me like pica foundry markings.

Right broadside.
Right broadside.

Aft.
Aft.

Left broadside.
Left broadside.

Case front.
Case front.

Case underside.
Case underside.

eBay main listing page.
eBay main listing page.

Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)

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

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 7124

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.

In late 2024, I started up again, working on my machines and having some of them serviced professionally by New England Typewriter (NET) LLC (Merrimack, NH), until they closed their doors in December of 2025. Since mid-2025, I have been adding to my collection again, first with a Hermes 3000 purchase from NET, then with various auctions and purchases on eBay, when I find something that catches my eye.



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