1936 Olympia Simplex #0130353
Status: Sightings
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Created: 09-07-2026 at 10:15AM
Last Edit: 09-07-2026 at 12:00PM
Find on Ebay #AD
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Description:
2026-SEP-07, Gallery Creation.
This typewriter is from the Mike Meakin collection. Mike was the owner of Abacus Office Machines in Spokane, WA, which he started in 1961. Mike retired in 1992, leaving the operation of the business to his children. In addition to running a successful office machine business, Mike was an avid typewriter and adding machine collector, whose collection grew to over 450 machines over time. Mike passed away in 2025, and his children are now gradually selling off his collection. His daughter, Trudy, has graciously allowed me to create TWDB galleries for Mike's machines, to add to our knowledge base.
This is the first of two Olympia Simplex portables (to my current awareness) that Mike Meakin owned. It has a (mostly) standard US keyboard layout, so it may have been meant for export, or it may be a conversion. It was listed on eBay, and sold on 6/7/2026.
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
- Previous Meakin gallery, Olympia Filia #45520 (1935)
- Next Meakin gallery, Olympia Simplex #0132514 (1937)
Photos:
Hunter: Brian Decker (bkdecker66)
Brian Decker's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 6240
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 Olympia Simplex on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Olympia Serial Number page and the Olympia Simplex By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
