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Home » Underwood » Champion » 193X #D32569
193X Underwood Champion Serial # D32569 193X Underwood Champion typewriter, Serial # D32569 James Gifford's 193X Underwood Champion typewriter. 2018-07-03 From the Virtual Typewriter Collection of James Gifford: 193X Underwood Champion Serial # D32569 This is the second Champion I've lucked into with a case that folds out into its own desk. I bought it along with three other machines, and when I saw the double latches I had a pretty good guess as to what it was. I love these cases. This one is in much better condition to the other one I own, which, sadly, is rotting. As a bonus, this case features stickers from the Cunard steamship line, which I believe are authentic. The identification sticker has been filled in and it's hard to read, but I managed to read the ship name, Saxonia, with some effort. The RMS Saxonia was the second Cunard ship with that name and was in operation as the Saxonia from 1954 to 1952. (The first Saxonia was scrapped in 1925.) The ship was renamed the Carmania in 1962, so that narrows down the dates. (The ship was later sold to the Soviets, became the Leonid Sobinov, and became known as the Red Bikini Girl after a woman swam from the ship seeking political asylum in Australia wearing only a red bikini.) I wasn't able to match up the serial to the database, which would suggest this was from 1926, which can't be right, as the D serials didn't start until 1931, though with a six-digit serial, and this machine has five numbers. There's an inverted 7 at the end of the serial that doesn't appear to have been part of the serial. Long story short, I'll enjoy taking this case to the park, unfolding it, and imagining I'm writing dispatches to the home front--without wifi.

193X Underwood Champion #D32569

Status: My Collection
Hunter: James Gifford (giffer)
Created: 09-24-2017 at 08:18AM
Last Edit: 07-03-2018 at 11:12AM


Description:

This is the second Champion I've lucked into with a case that folds out into its own desk. I bought it along with three other machines, and when I saw the double latches I had a pretty good guess as to what it was. I love these cases. This one is in much better condition to the other one I own, which, sadly, is rotting. As a bonus, this case features stickers from the Cunard steamship line, which I believe are authentic. The identification sticker has been filled in and it's hard to read, but I managed to read the ship name, Saxonia, with some effort. The RMS Saxonia was the second Cunard ship with that name and was in operation as the Saxonia from 1954 to 1952. (The first Saxonia was scrapped in 1925.) The ship was renamed the Carmania in 1962, so that narrows down the dates. (The ship was later sold to the Soviets, became the Leonid Sobinov, and became known as the Red Bikini Girl after a woman swam from the ship seeking political asylum in Australia wearing only a red bikini.) I wasn't able to match up the serial to the database, which would suggest this was from 1926, which can't be right, as the D serials didn't start until 1931, though with a six-digit serial, and this machine has five numbers. There's an inverted 7 at the end of the serial that doesn't appear to have been part of the serial. Long story short, I'll enjoy taking this case to the park, unfolding it, and imagining I'm writing dispatches to the home front--without wifi.

Typeface Specimen:

Photos:

Champion branded on the inside vertical of the spacebar.
Champion branded on the inside vertical of the spacebar.







Really hard to read, but I believe the ship name on the sticker is the Saxonia.
Really hard to read, but I believe the ship name on the sticker is the Saxonia.

Hunter: James Gifford (giffer)

James Gifford's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]

Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 2325

I am a writer and book editor as well as a collector of typewriters. It started with an Hermes 3000 desktop, which I stupidly sold last year, but now another sits on my desk for typing envelopes with a beautiful sans serif typeface. I type every day on different machines in my collection, which stands at about 60 at the moment. Favourites include my two 3000s, a 1930s Smith-Corona Silent, the Olivetti Studio 44 (red case), and a crinkle, chrome-encircled Royal Quiet Deluxe. I have also been finding very inexpensive Royal 10s of late; I currently own three, two from the 1910s and the other a later model, and another (1931) I sold to a friend at cost for his son, who appreciates vintage things. I am always on the lookout for new and interesting machines and often trade or sell to try new models. Living and working in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.



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