1966 Underwood Touchmaster Five #13-9707863
Status: My Collection
Hunter: Chris Aldrich (chrisaldrich)
Created: 05-17-2025 at 09:22PM
Last Edit: 05-17-2025 at 10:14PM
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Description:
2025-05-17 Acquired used at a second hand store for the As-Seen-On-TV price of $19.99 and in stunning condition. It'll need a clean, but this is in superb condition and almost perfect cosmetic condition. It's my first Underwood and technically also my first Olivetti as it was made after the merger. The touch and speed are truly stunning and may be the best in my collection even before being cleaned, oiled, and adjusted.
As William Forrester admonished Jamal to do on his Touch-master Five, I'll "Punch the keys, for God's sake!"
Typeface Specimen:
Links:
- Acquisition: 1966 Underwood Touch-Master Five Standard Typewriter
- Underwood Touch-Master Five user manual
- Video snippet from Finding Forrester of Sean Connery admonishing to "Punch the keys [of an Underwood Touch-Master Five], God dammit."
Photos:
Hunter: Chris Aldrich (chrisaldrich)
Chris Aldrich's Typewriter Galleries [ My Collection ] [ My Sightings ]
Status: Typewriter Hunter
Points: 1525
Hello! I’m a Johns Hopkins trained biomedical and electrical engineer with a variety of interests in the entertainment industry, information theory, evolution, big history, genetics, signal processing, transgenetics, translational medicine, and theoretical mathematics. I’m a strong advocate of the IndieWeb movement.
I have a love for analog office equipment including library card catalogs and typewriters. As of October 2026 , I've got a segment of 78 typewriters mostly focused on machines made between 1946 and 1977. I have been learning how to completely overhaul all of the machines in my collection, all of which work well aside from a handful which need some parts. I have a burgeoning collection of typewriter tools for continually repairing, maintaining, and upgrading my machines.
I'm slowly morphing my TWdB collection photos so that the "hero" photos of the machine facing to the right (with the left side of the typewriter facing front generally with the carriage return in the front) are those that have been generally cleaned /restored while those facing to the left (with the right side of the typewriter facing front with carriage return in the rear) are those that still need cleaning, oiling, adjustment or a major repair. Those facing forward generally need work as well. Certainly some don't fit this pattern, but I hope to fix them all shortly as I get the requisite photos.
RESEARCH NOTE: When researching the Underwood Touchmaster Five on a computer with lots of screen real estate, you may find that launching the Underwood Serial Number page and the Underwood Touchmaster Five By Model/Year/Serial page in new browser windows can give you interesting perspectives on changes throughout the model series.
